Why fear me? I'm only an elf
by Meerkatgirl13
Summary: What happens when Eva, an elf everyone seems to dislike, meets Artie at Worcestershire? Basically a slightly bloodier retelling of Shrek 3, starting a few months before the events. Artie/OC pairing
1. Chapter 1

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A/N Hi, this is my first Shrek fanfic, so go easy, lol. This story is just basically a slightly bloodier retelling of Shrek 3 from my OC's pov. It takes place a few months before the events of Shrek 3. please R&R and have a cookie ^_^ (::)

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I sighed as the transportation carriage stopped right outside of a gray stone castle-like building. Grabbing my suitcase and pulling my blue hood tighter over my head, I exited the bus with a murmured 'thank you'. The bus drove off, leaving me alone with an adult that just arrived.

'Ah, you must be Eva Thalaela. Welcome to Worcestershire Academy!', the man greeted happily. 'Come, we'll get you registered and a room.'

I blew my bangs out of my face and followed the man inside of the huge castle.

'My name is Mr. Jonson, Vice Principal.', the man stated as we wandered the halls to what I presume was the office.

Right outside one room with a bronze plaque that said Alchemy, there was a blonde boy sitting out in the hall, looking bored.

'Arthur, why aren't you in class?', Mr. Jonson asked the boy.

'I got kicked out.', the boy, Arthur, mumbled.

The adult sighed and said, 'Well, come with me. You can stay the rest of class in the office'.

Arthur glanced curiously at me then stood up. I flashed him a small, friendly smile. He looked confused then suspicious.

As we started along again, Arthur asked, 'So, uh, what's your name?'

I glanced at the boy and answered, 'Eva'.

He glanced at my suitcase and asked, 'So, new here, huh?'

I nodded. We arrived at the office, in which Mr. Jonson bustled off to get some papers. Arthur and I took seats on wooden benches right outside Mr. Jonson's office.

'I'm Artie, by the way.' Arthur stated, glancing at my hooded face.

I nodded and sighed, blowing my ebony bangs out of my face again.

Mr. Jonson came back with a stack of papers and said, 'Eva, come with me.'

I nodded and got up, saying, 'See ya later, Artie.'

As I glanced back at him, he looked a bit crestfallen, but also hopeful. I followed Mr. Jonson into his office, where he closed the heavy oak door behind me.

'Have a seat.' he said, pulling out a chair for me to sit in.

'Thank you', I muttered as I sat in it, waiting for him to sit down across from me.

Once he was seated, Mr. Jonson pulled a few papers out from the stack and said, 'You're all set to start classes. The orphanage sent a note of concern, however. Apparently, you're _different_, in the sense of how you look and your past. Is that true?'

I nodded and said, 'Yes, it is. I would appreciate it if you didn't advertize my past to the school.'

He nodded and added, 'Also, there is a rule that no head gear may be worn unless in a sport. I have to ask you to take your hood off.'

Sighing, I reached up and tugged my hood off, revealing my face. I heard Mr. Jonson suck a breath in and lean back. I guess you guys should know why Mr. Jonson gasped, right? I have ebony black hair, so dark in the light my hair looks blue. My skin is a pale cream color, with slightly rosy cheeks. My eyes are vivid purple. And most of all, I have pointed ears.

Anyway, I raised my violet eyes to Mr. Jonson's brown ones and said, 'Yes, I'm an elf, and I don't appreciate you staring at me like that.'

He lowered his eyes and said, 'I apologize. Here's your school uniforms and your room number. You start classes tomorrow. Please leave this office.'

He handed me a few ugly blue-gray dresses with red and white plaid sleeves, a piece of paper with the number 46 and a list of teacher's names and classrooms on it. I grimaced at the dresses and stood up.

'Thank you for your time, Mr. Jonson', I murmured, heading for the door.

'Just get out of my sight!' he snarled, banging his fist on the table.

Trust me, it took a _lot_ of self-control to not throw my suitcase at him. I narrowed my eyes and strode out of the office. Artie was still sitting on the bench. He looked up when I exited and his jaw dropped. I laughed a bit at his expression.

'Hello Artie', I said, taking a seat beside him.

He still didn't say anything.

Sighing, I reached over and gently closed his mouth saying, 'It's rude to stare, you know.'

His entire face started to go red as soon as I touched him.

He shook his head a bit and stuttered, 'I-I'm sorry. It's just-'

'It's just that you're not used to seeing an elf, right?' I finished for him.

He nodded slowly, never taking his eyes off of me.

Glancing at the paper I had in my hand again, I asked, 'Hey, can you show me where my room is?'

He looked startled, but nodded eagerly. Honestly, i'm a bit surprised Artie hasn't began running in fear or attacked me by now, like most people when first meet me. I guess he wants to make me feel welcome.

Artie leaned over to see my paper and stated, 'Hey, your room is just a few rooms from mine.'

We both stood up and exited the office, walking down a hallway to the left. We took a few more turns before we came across a hallway with a fair amount of wooden doors dotting the sides. Each had a shiny bronze number on it. Artie led me to a room with a shiny brass plaque beside it that read, 'Eva Thalaela'.

'Here's your room. My room is at the end of the hall and the bathrooms are _there _and _there_.' Artie said, first pointing at a door on the far side of the hall then at two doors, one on my side of the hall and the other on the other side.

'Thank you so much, Artie. Can you come and get me when it's lunch, please?', I asked.

He nodded and said, 'Sure. See ya at lunch.'

I smiled and entered my room.

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_A/N I've always imagined Artie getting kicked out of class just because he was there lol. Mr. Jonson's hostility towards Eva WILL be explained later on. BTW, Eva's name is pronounced (evah thah-LA-ella). Again, please R&R, reviews will make updates faster, that is, if you guys like it, lol. I don't own the characters in Shrek 3, i only own Eva and Mr. Jonson! _


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N Thank you PlatinumGal and kitty-kat-girlyyyxxx for reviewing, i really appretiate it. ^_^ cookies for both of you and those who favorited and story alerted this fic! you guys are the best, lol! Well, this is the next chapter, since you guys like it so much. please R&R and have a cookie. *offers a platter of cookies* (::)_

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The walls of the room were red and white, with a similarly colored blankets and sheets on the bed, which was conveniently located by the window. There was a closet across the room from the bed with a full length mirror beside it. On the wooden desk were a few candles, a few ink wells, and quills. I set my suitcase down on the bed and hung my ugly uniforms up. Wandering back to the bed, I opened my suitcase and sighed at the contents.

'I don't think the school allows students to own weapons.' I thought out loud, carefully lifting my sword out of the suitcase.

I quickly replaced it and closed the case up, hastily storing it in a shaded corner of the closet. I glanced at one of the uniforms, then to my dark blue dress, then back.

'Aw, fuck it.' I muttered, getting up and taking one of the uniforms off the hanger.

I changed dresses and gazed at my reflection when I was done. Damn, the uniform was _ugly_! Sighing, I turned away from the mirror and sat down on the bed, folding my discarded dress and placing it beside me. I glanced out the good-sized window to see the rolling hills of green. Getting up, I strode to the window and opened it, leaning out and taking a deep whiff of the fresh air. I would give _anything_ to be out there, free to do whatever the hell I want. Twisting my body, I sat on the windowsill, still staring at the hills and the ocean beyond that. I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the edge of the window, humming a song I learned long ago. After a few minutes, I got off of the windowsill and strode back to my bed.

Before I could sit on the comfy surface, a huge _boom_ sounded from outside the castle, making me yelp in surprise and cover my sensitive ears. What I think was a bell rang a total of four times before becoming silent. Cautiously, I lowered my hands, every one of my nerves on edge. From outside my window, I heard a multitude of voices. I guess it's ether lunch, or that was the end of one class.

Taking a shuddering breath, I sat down on the bed. After a few minutes, I heard a commotion in the hallway. Cautiously, I got up and opened my door, peeking my head out and looking around. What I saw angered me. A dark-haired boy and a few other boys had Artie pinned on the brick wall. Stepping out of my room, I stalked towards them. The dark-haired boy spotted me and let Artie go, keeping a firm hold on the back of his shirt.

'Who is this pretty maiden?' he asked as his friends gawked at me.

'I'm Eva, Artie's _friend_.' I replied coolly, putting emphasis on 'friend'.

He looked at me for a second then busted out laughing. 'Friends...with _this_ loser? Man, how much did he pay for you to say _that_?' He choked out, wiping a tear of mirth from his eye.

If anything, that only pissed me off more.

'For one, he is _not_ a loser, and he didn't pay me anything, I said it on my free will.' I snapped, narrowing my violet eyes and stalking forward so that I was in front of him.

'I would appreciate it if you _let him go_.' I snarled, getting in between the boy and an awe-struck Artie.

He glared at me defiantly then stated, 'Make me.'

I growled and punched a pressure point on his arm, making him howl in pain and releasing Artie's shirt in the process.

'Never, and I mean _never_, piss me off, otherwise it might be the last thing you do', I threatened.

The boy glared at me and said, 'Come on, we'll deal with her later.'

As soon as the boy and his friends left, I turned to Artie and offered a smile.

'U-umm, well, thanks...for defending me', Artie stuttered, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

My smile got wider as I said, 'No problem. Who was that anyway?'

He looked away before saying, 'That was Lancelot, captain of the Jousting Team.'

I huffed and muttered, 'I've never liked jocks.'

Artie looked up with questioning eyes as he asked, 'Did you really mean it when you said that you were my friend?'

I rolled my eyes and stated, 'Of course I did. I'd think the guy that kindly showed me to my room would be my friend.'

He looked shocked at first, then a smile wormed its way across his lips.

Just then, my stomach gave a loud grumble.

My face went red as I sheepishly said, 'Hehe, I guess we should get to lunch.'

He only smiled and led the way out of the hallway.

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_A/N Don't worry, you guys will se lunchtime at Wostershire Acadamy next chappie! ^_^ I don't own Shrek 3 or its characters! I only own Eva, Eva's past, and any other OCs in here!_

_~Meerkatgirl13_


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N Thank you kitty-kat-girlyyyxxx for reviewing! I really appreciate your feedback. Yes, i know the chapters are a bit short, and I'm really sorry about that. Happy 4th of July, for my American readers! please, please review, i need your feedback to help make this a better story! Thank you and have a cookie (::)! ^_^ I don't own Shrek 3 or its characters, i only own Eva, Mr. Jonson, and any other OC that might come up later!_

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We chatted about ourselves and how the school works as we made out way towards the cafeteria.

'Are you an elf?' Artie asked suddenly; I guess he saw my ears.

I nodded and said, 'Yup, 100% elf.'

We arrived at the noisy cafeteria, where a sickening smell hit my nose. Artie chuckled when he saw my expression as he led us to the end of a line and got us both trays. As we waited, I became aware of people staring at me.

Shifting uncomfortably, I moved up and held out my tray, only to have some kind of slop dumped on it with a leg of mutton and a small bowl of salad on the side. I wrinkled my nose and moved to the side, waiting for Artie to receive his lunch. He did, but when he stepped out of line, he got this dreamy look on his face. I raised an eyebrow and turned towards to where he was staring at. All I saw was a fairly pretty looking preppy girl with strawberry blonde hair. She gave him one look and wrinkled her nose, quickly moving past him with her lunch.

I sighed and tugged on his arm, stating playfully, 'Earth to Lover Boy.'

He shook his head and blushed a bit.

Glancing around at the crowded cafeteria, I asked, 'Do we _have _to eat in here?'

He shook his head and replied, 'No, we could eat outside of the school, like in the fields.'

I smiled and stated, 'Well, lead the way.'

He smiled and motioned me to follow. I did, ignoring the stares that were following me. Finally, we were out of the crowded cafeteria and made our way through the halls. Soon enough, Artie pushed the oak door open and led me outside into the courtyard. Once again, I was painfully aware of the stares and attention I was getting from the other students, especially the guys. I think Artie sensed my discomfort, since he picked up the pace a bit. We rushed past the entrance gate and to the countryside outside of the school walls. There were a few students lounging around out there, but Artie led me to a shady hill overlooking the churning ocean.

As we sat down, Artie said, 'This is one of my favorite spots to eat. I hope you like it.'

I smiled faintly as I glanced at him. 'I like it just fine.' I murmured, picking up my fork and digging into the salad.

I don't like meat; it makes me sick.

Artie looked at me curiously before shrugging and digging into his mutton. I quickly finished my salad and placed my tray beside me. Glancing out at the ocean, I felt a familiar shudder of fear run up my spine. I have a huge fear of the ocean; dunno why, but I've never liked how it looks. Quickly glancing away from the terrifying waters, I gazed upon the grass. It's interesting how one species of grass comes in so many shades of green.

'Do you want your mutton?' Artie asked, startling me out of my thoughts.

Wordlessly, I passed my mutton to him, which he took eagerly.

After a few minutes of silence, Artie asked, 'Hey, are you ok?'

I switched my gaze from the grass to him and said, 'Ya, I was just thinking.'

He gazed at me for a few seconds then turned to the ocean.

'You know, I'm surprised you want to be friends with me.', Artie stated, still gazing out at the ocean.

I shrugged and replied, 'I know how it feels to be alone; to be shunned for being different. When I saw you pinned by Lancelot, I just thought we could be friends, since we both know what it's like to be the outcast.'

Turning my head slightly, I gave him a friendly smile, which he returned.

The bell started to ring again, causing me to yelp and cover my ears again. Artie only laughed and shook his head.

'Well, it's time for the last class. Want me to take you back to your room?', he asked, standing up and holding a hand out for me.

I shook my head and stated, 'Oh, you can go ahead. I'm getting sick of sitting up in my room doing nothing.'

He lifted his eyebrow and asked, 'You sure?'

I nodded and said, 'Go on, before you're late for class!'

He smiled and stated, 'Well, I'll come get you when class is over.'

Smiling, I waved my hand, signaling him to go. He only smiled and started jogging back to the school.

As soon as Artie was out of my sight, I stood up and jumped into the tree. Quickly climbing a bit higher to a thick, sturdy branch facing away from the ocean, I sat on it and leaned against the cool bark. Even if the ocean is terrifying, the sounds it makes are actually quite soothing.

The sound combined with the gentle swaying and the shade of the tree lulled me into a doze.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N Thank you kitty-kat-girlyyyxxx for reviewing! Woot! I'm on a roll this week! I'll probably have the next chapter posted by Wednesday! Oh, and the next few chapters I'll be rushing the story a bit, I DON'T want to write about every day until the events of Shrek 3. Well, please, please review and have a cookie! (::) ^_^_

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I woke to the feel of the tree swaying violently.

Yelping in surprise, I clung to the trunk and slowly eased myself down until I was on the ground. Now that I have a good look at the sky, I noticed ominous black storm-clouds were covering it. For some weird reason, they seemed to be spinning. I watched in horror as a white peak from the clouds formed where they were spinning the fastest.

Holy shit, I need to get inside, _now_!

Taking off at a dead run back to the school, I saw they had closed the drawbridge and the only way in was the high stone walls. Glancing back, I saw that the white peak was trying to touch the ground.

I never thought this place gets freaking _tornadoes_!

As soon as I got to the walls, I jumped up high and clung to a creeping vine, scrambling up it as fast as I could. As soon as I reached the top of the wall, the funnel cloud touched the earth a few miles from the school. The wind really picked up, tossing my ebony hair in it's fury and pelting water at my figure. Soon enough, I was thoroughly soaked. I gazed, mesmerized, at the swirling destructive mass of swirling clouds.

Shaking my head, I glanced down and saw that there was another series of vines creeping up the wall. They ended a lot lower than the other one, though. I would have to fall a few yards before I could get a hold on one of them. Glancing around for another way down, I saw that the wall ran close to an open window. If I ran across the wall and jumped high enough, I could ether jump straight into the room, or I could grab onto the windowsill and heave myself in.

Quickly making up my mind, I scrambled across the slippery wall. Getting close enough to the window, I bent my legs and jumped, sailing through the air and latched onto the windowsill with one hand. Quickly, I grabbed on with my other hand and heaved my body through the opening.

As soon as I was inside, I turned around and shut the window. Heaving a sigh of relief, I looked around the room only to realize it was my own. I quickly walked over to my closet and pulled a dry uniform from off a hanger, quickly dressing into it.

As soon as I secured the last button, a frantic knocking came from outside my door. Quickly moving to get it, I saw it was a very frantic-looking Artie. His face immediately became calmer once he saw it was me.

'Oh, gosh Eva, I'm so sorry for forgetting you outside!' he rambled, making me shake my head and grin slightly.

'Ah, no harm done, I'm only mentally scarred from having a freaking _tornado_ try to kill me, no biggie.' I stated playfully with a wave of my hand.

He only looked away guiltily. Sighing, I stated, 'Hey, it's ok. I'm alive and breathing, no harm done. Now come in, I hate having people standing outside of my door.'

He looked questioning, but came inside anyway. As I shut the door, the window started to rattle softly.

Casing a worried glance at the window, I sat on the bed and said, 'Sit down, make yourself at home.'

He hesitated and sat down on the edge of the bed. We both set our gazes on the tornado raging outside.

'Do you guys get tornadoes often?' I asked softly, watching the destructive mass of clouds thin out and disappear, leaving an oddly-colored sky.

'Not really. This is only the second one this year', Artie said, turning his gaze from the window to the ceiling.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I flopped ungraciously on my bed, making it bounce slightly.

'Well, this is the most interesting first day I've ever had.' I stated, drawing a chuckle from Artie.

'I'd imagine.' he said, laying down beside me.

I closed my eyes, feeling exhausted from the day's events.

'I'm tired', I mumbled.

'Well, I guess I should go, since you're feeling tired. I'll wake you for dinner, if you're not up by then' Artie said, standing up and heading for the door.

'Hey', I called after him, causing him to turn around. 'Thanks for making me feel welcome.'

He only grinned and slid out the door, closing it behind him. Carefully taking my boots and socks off, I crawled under the covers and almost immediately fell asleep.

'Eva', someone called faintly, as if from far away.

I groaned and turned on my side, trying to block out the sound.

Someone chuckled and called my name again, louder this time and accompanied by a slight shaking. Reluctantly, I forced my eyes open only to see Artie's smirking face.

'It's time for dinner', he said simply, stepping back a bit.

I glared at him and sat up, stretching my cramped limbs. Glancing out of the window, I saw that it was still raining. After pulling on my socks and boots, Artie and I traveled the familiar path of halls to the cafeteria. It was pretty much the same routine from lunch, except the server gave me a bigger bowl of salad. After Artie got his dinner, we went back up to our hallway and stopped.

'So, whose room are we gonna eat in?', I asked, glancing from my room to Artie's.

'Actually, we aren't allowed to eat in the rooms, but we can eat out here', Artie stated, gesturing to a spot between our rooms.

I shrugged and sat down in that spot, Artie plopping down beside me.

As we began eating, I said, 'Hey, I'll give you my mutton if you give me your salad.'

He glanced down at his salad for a brief second before handing the bowl to me. I happily gave him the leg of meat and eagerly dug into one of the salads. After about a half and hour, we picked our trays up and dumped them into the trash-can.

'Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow', Artie stated, stopping outside of his room.

'Going to bed already? Well, I guess you had a long day. See ya in the morning.' I stated with a smile, walking across the hall to my room.

'Night Eva', I heard from behind me.

Smiling faintly, I called over my shoulder, 'Night Artie'.

As I wandered into my room, I sat down at my desk and pulled open the top drawer. There I found sheets of parchment and several notebooks. I took one of the nicer notebooks out and turned to the first page.

'Well, a swordsman, or woman, needs to keep on top of her calligraphy', I though out loud as I slid an ink-well and a quill towards me.

After I unstopped the ink, I dipped my quill into the black liquid and began writing. I wrote about my past before I turned the page and wrote about today. After I wrote about everything I could think of, I closed the ink and the book and stashed it in the empty bottom drawer. Turning my head towards the clock on the wall, I was shocked that it was nearly 10:00 already. I sighed and undressed, leaving me in my undergarments, then slowly crawled under the covers again. After one glance out of the window at the cloudy black sky, I let my head drop onto the pillow and closed my eyes to let sleep wash over me.


	5. Chapter 5

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A/N I'm sorry I''m posting this chapter so late! I got caught up in reading a freaking EPIC Alice in Wonderland fic and studying for my summer-school final tomorrow. Thank you again, kitty-kat-girlyyyxxx for reviewing! But seriously, please, please leave a quick review. It only takes less than five minutes of one's time, so why not leave a quick word of praise or a word of advice? Just a mere suggestion, my faithful readers. The next chapter, the storyline will be rushed a bit; I don't want to write about every day of Eva's life! But, enough of my rambling (damn you , Mad Hatter!), on to the story!

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My internal alarm clock went off an hour before dawn; like it always had.

My eyes snapped open and I sat up, stretching my tired limbs. As I swung my legs over the side of the bed, I noticed the clouds had cleared up from yesterday. I stood up, got dressed in that _horrid_ uniform and did my morning routines.

Afterwords, I pulled out my suitcase and took my sword out, carefully closing the lid to keep my bow in good condition. Unsheathing it and tossing the scabbard to the side, I ran my hand up the length of the blade, savoring the feel of cool metal sliding under my skin. It was good to have my blade in hand again. As I got into a battle stance, I started to imagine I was in a clear field with enemies surrounding me. Dodging and weaving all the while, I struck them down, one by one.

I remained in my fantasy until a knock broke me out from that world.

'Eva, it's time to get up! Breakfast is in 20 minutes!', Artie's voice wafted from outside the door. 'I'll come back in 10 minutes.'

After that, I heard him shuffling away from my door to his room. I glanced in the mirror at my disheveled appearance, sighed, put my sword away then went to clean up again.

Artie returned right after I had put my boots on.

'You ready to go?', he asked as I picked up my packed bag and swung it over my shoulder.

I nodded and we went out the door and into the cafeteria. There were already a few students eating at the tables. The few students that were eating glanced up and gave Artie a look of dislike. I narrowed my eyes slightly and grabbed a tray, standing behind Artie. The cook plopped some eggs, bacon, and a few blueberry muffins on my tray.

Grinning a bit, I snatched the muffins off of Artie's tray as he turned to find a spot to sit. He glared a me playfully and took my bacon and eggs.

I noticed a few students watching us. Some of them were looking at me like I was crazy. I merely shrugged them off and followed Artie out of the cafeteria. We went back to our hallway and sat down to eat.

'So, what classes do you have today?', he asked, taking a bite of his bacon.

I grabbed my bag and rifled through it before pulling out the sheet of parchment.

'Lets see...i have, Magical Studies, History, and Home EC after lunch. Monday I have Girls' PE, Alchemy, then Choir', I stated, looking my schedule over.

'Hey, you have History and Alchemy with me!', Artie exclaimed, leaning over to see for himself.

I smirked and folded up the schedule and took a bite of one of my muffins. Soon enough, we were done with our breakfast.

As we got up, I asked, 'Hey, Artie, can you show me where my first class is?'

He smiled and said, 'Sure! Follow me.'

I did, and we made our way down the halls, Artie pointing out little landmarks on the way. Soon enough, we stood outside of a door with 'Magical Studies' on it.

'Well, I'll see you later. I'll pick you up after class so we can go to History together', he replied with a wave.

I grinned nervously and waved a bit before entering the classroom. In the room, there were a lot of bright colors and peace signs painted all over the walls, along with mismatched desks containing a few students. Sitting at the desk in the very front of the room was an old guy with a long white beard and circle glasses wearing a deep blue robe with a matching wizards' hat.

I walked up to him and asked, 'Sir, where do I sit?'

He looked up at me and asked, 'What's your name, miss?'

After fidgeting nervously, I replied, 'Eva Thalaela, Sir'

He looked over a piece of parchment and pointed to a desk at the back of the room.

'Oh, Miss. Tha-erm...Miss. Eva, I'm Professor Merlin', the old man-Professor Merlin-called after me as I walked back to my seat.

As I sat down, I noticed the few students that were there were staring at me.

'What the hell are you looking at?' I snapped, glaring at them.

They immediately turned around and stared at the various sheets of parchment in front of them. After a few minutes, more students came in and took seats around me. The bell rang a few seconds after the last person was seated. I didn't jump or cover my ears, I just sat there. It was extremely painful to listen to the booming rings, but I didn't wanna seem weak. That was another issue I have; letting other people see my weaknesses. After being attacked for being what I am for so long, I've learned to not let _anyone_ see _any_ of my weaknesses, as they might use them against me.

After that, the rest of the class went fairly well, considering that the classroom nearly got blown up, because of one student's carelessness when using magic. I learned quite a few things in there, including what _not_ to do when using magic. It was actually really funny to see a spell explode in a guy's face after he said the wrong incantation. The dreaded bell rang to dismiss us, and most of the students rushed out almost immediately.

After Artie came to pick me up, the day was pretty much boring. The most boring subject was History, but I absolutely _hated_ Home EC.

It was an all-girl class, and all we really did was learn how to _properly_ do _everything;_ folding linens, walking, eating, cooking, talking. It was all _bullshit_! Let's put it this way, I'm probably gonna skip every class from this point on. The class isn't necessary to graduate from this place.

I just hope Monday's classes are more interesting, since today is Friday!

Before dinner, Artie and I got to know each-other more. We just walked around outside and talked about whatever.

'So, how were your classes today?', Artie asked casually as we passed by our favorite tree and sat down under its shade.

I shrugged and stated, 'Pretty much boring. I hope Monday's classes are more interesting.'

He nodded sympathetically and said, 'Ya, normally B-days are really boring. The A-days are almost always more interesting than B-days.'

A sudden thought crossed my mind. 'Hey, do you know if there are any more elf students going here?', I asked before I could stop myself.

He looked startled at the sudden question, but shook his head.

'As far as I know, you're the only elf student going here', Artie stated.

Slightly disappointed, I nodded slowly and turned my gaze to the grass. The bell rang for dinner after a few moments. Artie helped me up off the grass and led me to the cafeteria to get my meal. After we both got our meals, we headed for our hallway to talk some more.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N thank you, kitty-kat-girlyyyxxx and PlatinumGal for reviewing! ^_^ Well, this chapter is a bit tragic for Eva, but it needs to pass. This chapter explains the hostility Mr. Jonson has towards Eva in Ch. 1. please R&R and have a cookie ^_^ (::)_

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Every day from that day it was almost the same routine, except for the weekends. I got up, did my morning routines, practiced with my sword for about an hour, getting cleaned up again, walking to breakfast with Artie, and on weekdays, go to classes.

My friendship with Artie grew steadily during the following months. Eventually, we became best friends; someone we can tell almost anything to. The only thing we didn't talk about was our pasts, which was perfectly fine with me. I often had to rescue him from getting beat up and picked on. As a result, I started to teach him basic swords fighting skills and moves. I always tell him it's like dancing, which in essence, it is. He picked up a few things after a few months of hard work and him getting his ass kicked over and over again.

After a few months, on an A-day, people started looking at me weird again, like they did for the first few weeks. There were a lot of whispers when I was around. A lot of people glared at me hatefully, even though I didn't do anything to them at all. Hell, I even got attacked by a few people for no reason what-so-ever. I stayed up in my room for most of the day after classes.

After awhile, Artie came in and asked, 'Do want me to bring something for you to eat?'

Just then, my stomach grumbled its protest.

I nodded and he said, 'I'll be right back.'

He was back after 5 minutes with a few muffins and a platter of salad.

'That was fast', I stated jokingly, taking the food from him and taking a bite out of a muffin.

I offered a muffin to him, but he shook his head stating, 'No thank you. I'm not hungry'.

Shrugging, I ate the food pretty quickly. I already told Artie why I locked myself in my room. Glancing at the clock, I saw it was close for curfew.

'You better go to bed, Artie, we don't wanna get detentions again', I stated with a smile.

He grinned back at me and stood up saying, 'Goodnight Eva'

Smiling, I watched him exit, then walked over to my desk and took out my diary. I opened to a blank page and wrote about what happened today and the questions that were bouncing around in my head. Why are they so hostile all of the sudden? As I put my things away, I kept thinking about a whispered comment I'd heard earlier that day. 'I'm glad that there's only one elf left', is what that bitch, Guinevere, had commented; the girl Artie was madly in love over. He was getting rejected every other week! And because of that bitch, he has a very low self-esteem! It hurts to see him beating himself up because he can't get a date with the girl of his dreams. I may have a very rough exterior, but to the people who are dear to me, I'm very loyal and protective of them. Anyway, I undressed and went to bed. Perhaps I could get answers tomorrow.

The day started out normally.

I dressed, practiced, and ate before Magical Studies. Professor Merlin "retired" after his nervous breakdown in class a few weeks ago. Artie still owes a detention from him! I forgot what he did, though. Now our new teacher is a complete bitch. Damn, even Professor Akar seems to hate me now. Well, that's fine with me; I've hated him since he came! I just doodled on my assignment all class until the bell rang.

History, for once, was interesting today and gave me the answers I was looking for. I took my normal seat beside Artie and took out a piece of parchment. As Professor Cato took role a few minutes later, he paused at my name with a troubled expression.

'Eva, I've heard rumors about you being an elf. Is that true?', he rasped, gazing at me with watery hazel eyes.

'Yes, Professor, the rumors are true', I replied, with a confused tone;_everyone_ knew I was an elf.

Now his expression was starting to make me nervous.

His eyebrows furrowed, but he continued with the lesson.

'Turn to page 864 in your history books', Professor Cato instructed, turning to the chalkboard to write something on it.

Sighing, I turned my book to that page and was surprised to see the section was about elves.

'Now read the entire section and answer the questions at the end', Cato's voice rasped.

I glanced down at the first paragraph and started reading.

_'The elf species has been around for approximately 6,000 years. They hail from the thick unnamed forests that dot around the Earth. This particular sub-species of elf were called 'Forest Elves'. There are only two sub-species of elves, the Forest Elves and the Christmas Elves. The Forest Elves differ greatly from the Christmas Elves. The Forest Elves are commonly taller than their colder counterparts. They were known for their feline-like appearance, fiery temper, unusual eye colors, and their love for nature. The Forest Elves were great magic-wielders, and were more athletic than any human could ever dream of. Commonly, they were more flexible, can run faster than a galloping horse, quicker reflexes and movements, and could jump to impossible heights. They were great archers and swordsmen, and were fierce warriors. Unfortunately, their talents were their downfall. The human race grew jealous and envious of the elves' success. King Talbot I ordered the destruction of the elf race. He posted rewards of money for a certain amount of elf heads per citizen. One elf head had a reward of 100 gold. Queen Maiaera of the elves declared war on King Talbot's kingdom. The resulting war lasted for a decade before Queen Maiaera's forces fell and with it, the elf race was doomed. It was a few years later that the entire elf race went extinct; tracked and killed by the most skilled warriors and hunters. The elves are still hated and envied to this day. There is no recorded records that there are any surviving members of the noble race that was once the elves. The Christmas Elv-' _

I shut my book and held my head in my hands. Everything makes sense now! From the hatred and coldness from before I could remember to the attacks and whispers now!

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Artie pass a slip of parchment onto my desk. I reached for it and read what was written on it.

_'__Are you ok?'_

I shook my head and gathered my things, getting up and exiting the room. Normally, Professor Cato doesn't allow students to leave his classroom, but I guess he felt bad for me. Heh, what a way to learn about your race.

After I was halfway to the front doors, the entire truth hit me; I'm the last of the elves.

My hands started to shake as I ran full tilt towards the exit. Bursting out of the wooden doors, I fled towards the open drawbridge and up our favorite tree. I dropped my things by the base of the tree and gazed out at the rolling hills of green, letting a tear roll down my face for every slain elf.

I heard the creaking of branches as someone climbed up onto them some time later.

'Hello Artie', I whispered, not moving from my perch.

He took a seat on the branch beside mine and asked quietly, 'Are you ok?'

I knew he was trying to help, but anger flared up and roared loudly like an angered dragon inside of my chest.

'What the hell do you think? I just found out my race was _slaughtered_ like fucking _pigs_ by the race I was raised with! I just found out that I, Eva Thalaela, am the last of the elf race and you expect me to be _ok_ with it!', I screamed at him, gripping the wood of my branch like it was my lifeline.

He just stayed quiet, but I saw the pain and fear flash across his face.

I ranted and screamed my sorrow, grief, and pain out before succumbing to tears.

Tentatively, Artie reached out and wrapped his arms around me, letting me cry into his chest. After awhile, I pulled away and wiped my eyes.

'Thank you', I whispered, flushing a bit for my display of weakness.

He smiled comfortingly and whispered, 'No problem'.

We sat in the tree until the bell rang for lunch.

'Well, it all makes sense now' I whispered, making Artie shift slightly on his branch.

'What does?', he asked quietly.

'The attacks and hatred towards me once people found out what I was'

Artie stayed silent for a bit before saying, 'But I didn't attack you.'

'Yes, and I'm very thankful for that. You are only the second person that hasn't done anything to make me feel unwelcome', I whispered, turning my head and giving him a small grateful grin.

He returned it and asked, 'Do you want me to bring you something from the cafeteria?'

I shook my head and stated, 'No, I'll come with you.'

He looked a bit concerned, but helped me down from the tree. As we walked together to the cafeteria, I was aware of the sniggers and whispers around me. That only fueled my temper, but I tried to keep it in check. As Artie and I arrived at the cafeteria, the entire room got silent.

'Hey Eva, how does it feel to be the last of the tree-huggers?', Lancelot called mockingly from one of the tables.

At that moment, I saw red.

Before Artie could stop me, I dropped my tray and stalked up to Lancelot.

'Get your sword and meet me in the field in 10 minutes', I snarled. 'Lets see whose the better fighter.'


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N Thank you kitty-kat-girlyyyxxx for reviewing! Is it me, or are you and PlatinumGal the only ones that review? Strange, huh? Well, i'm not complaining, lol I'm just thankful for what i get, lol. Well, please please review. That might get you guys faster updates *grins* Oh, and have some cake! *holds out a piece of cake and a fork*_

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With that, I spun on my heel and started for my room. After a few seconds, I heard footsteps hurrying after me. I already knew who it was.

'Don't think you can stop me, Artie, 'cuz you can't!', I snarled, kicking the door to my room open and heading for my closet.

I still hadn't told him what I have in the suitcase.

'I'm not planning to stop you, Lancelot crossed the line. I'm just worried that you'll lose', he said from behind me. 'And how are you gonna get a sword?'

Wordlessly, I pulled my suitcase out and placed it on the bed.

'I'm _not _gonna lose', I stated, unbuckling the metal buckles and opening the lid.

As I lifted my sword and its belt out, I heard Artie gasp from beside me. I buckled the belt across my chest and buckled the sword in place on my back. Artie didn't say anything, he only gawked at my sword. Silently, I walked out of my room with Artie hot on my heels.

After a few minutes, we got to the field where Lancelot was already waiting.

'Finally! I thought you'd never show up', he mocked, drawing his sword.

'You wish I never showed up', I whispered, drawing my own sword and getting into position.

'Good luck', Artie whispered before scampering off into the sidelines.

It turns out most of the school turned up for this, including the teachers. I took a moment to push my anger down and replace it with cold concentration. With a battle yell, Lancelot charged, sword raised. I raised my sword to stop his, sparks flying off as metal met metal. I almost laughed at Lancelot's astonished expression as I twirled and slashed at his unprotected side. He barely managed to stop my strike in time.

_Artie_

I watched in awe as my best friend held her own against one of my worst enemies. Eva was right when she said that she won't lose!

As the fight continued, I watched Eva push Lancelot back, step by step. Damn, I can see the look of panic and fear on Lancelot's face! Eva's eyes held a cold confidence and concentration, mixed with another emotion, one that she was struggling to hold back. Eva's strikes were a lot quicker and powerful than Lancelot's. I could see Lancelot's arm tremble every time he parried one of Eva's powerful slashes. My eyes stayed on Lancelot for a bit longer before moving to Eva. She looked like an ancient war goddess, with her blue-black hair swirling around her and the burning in her violet eyes. As she ducked one of Lancelot's swings, that hidden emotion won out and filled her eyes, making them turn darker and added more ferocity to her swings. Eva twisted around and slashed at Lancelot's leg, both tearing the cloth and leaving a long cut in the skin. He yelled in pain, and Eva took the opportunity to knock Lancelot's sword out of his hand with a powerful swing. Only when Eva raised her sword for another strike that I realized that she was intending to _kill_ Lancelot! He saw this and rolled out of the way of her swing.

I rushed out onto the field and tried to restrain Eva as Lancelot tried to get back onto his feet. She struggled in my grasp, but dropped her sword and slumped over, panting hard. When she lifted her head, I saw that her eyes were her normal violet, instead of dark purple.

'What happened?', she asked.

'What do you mean? You were the one who was fighting', I stated, hearing the confusion in my voice.

'I dunno. I mean, the last thing I remember was dodging one of Lancelot's swings and then...nothing', she whispered, her eyebrows furrowing in thought.

'You!', Lancelot yelled, causing both of us to lift our heads. 'You tried to kill me!'

Her eyebrows furrowed more as she asked, 'I did?'

Before Lancelot could make a comment, I said, 'I'll take her back to her room, she's tired and she can't think clearly.'

With that, I picked her up, ignoring her protests, retrieved her sword off the ground, and headed back for the school.

'Artie, put me down! I can walk on my own', Eva protested weakly as we were walking through the halls to our hallway.

I only lifted my eyebrow and she fell silent. After fumbling with the doorknob to her room, I kicked the door open and gently set her on the bed.

'You _are_ going to _stay_ here and _rest_. I'll bring some food up in about an hour, but you are going to stay in here until then', I stated sternly, leaving no room for protest.

She nodded weakly and started to fumble with the sword belt around her chest. With a tired growl, her hands flopped down to her sides.

'Can you take this off of me?', she asked, gesturing to the belt.

I glanced at the belt buckle and felt blood rush up to my cheeks. The gleaming silver buckle was located right between her breasts.

I guess she sensed my hesitation because she said, 'Oh, I'm not gonna slice your head off you shoulders once you take it off'.

Still a bit unsure, I quickly unbuckled the belt and slid it out from under her.

A small blush colored her cheeks as she whispered, 'Thanks', and closed her eyes.

I put the belt and her sword back into her suitcase and put that back into her closet, stuffing it in the darkest corner in there. After glancing back at Eva's sleeping form, I quietly exited her room and made my way to the library.

The librarian smiled at me and said, 'I knew you would come sooner or later. Here's a book about the Forest Elves'.

She handed me a thick, dusty book that had a strange language written on the front.

'Oh, that only means "Book of the Forest Elves". This is the translated version of the original book', the librarian stated, seeing my confused expression.

I nodded and headed for a table, flipping the book open once I sat down. Lets see, history, appearance, talents, ah, behaviors; page 460-465. I flipped the book open to the page and started reading.

_'The Forest Elves had many emotions and behaviors, like humans. Most elves don't eat meat, except in very urgent circumstances. The elves were known for their airy presence and mood swings. An elf is rarely outwardly cruel and savage to others, unless faced with a traumatizing and brutal past. When angered, an elf often has to restrain their temper, otherwise they will attack. In battle, an elf's skills are unmatched. A shift into a state of mind that the individual can't control their body in battle, they call Dreyrgjarn*, or Blood lust, and is extremely rare for an elf to posses. It is characterized by the darkening of the elf's eyes, their attacks are more viscous, attempting to kill the opponent, loss of memory from that point to when they 'snap' out of it, and extreme fatigue afterwords. It is a very rare condition that one's chance of being born with it is 1 in 1,000,000. It is very dangerous to handle an elf that is in Dreyrgjarn. Very few see the effects of Dreyrgjarn and live to tell about it.'_

I closed the book and sat back in my seat. Well, this explains a lot of the unusual behaviors Eva has, including her hatred of meat. Well, Lancelot owes me his life. If I hadn't stopped Eva, she would've killed him while under the influence of Dreyrgjarn.

Glancing at the clock, I was shocked to see I had been reading for almost an hour. Screw drama class!

I jumped up and handed the book back to the librarian with a hurried, 'Thank you', and rushed down to the kitchens, where I pilfered a salad and two cupcakes; she's gonna need the sugar.

Rushing back to Eva's room, I quietly entered and sat down at her desk. I glanced down at the scattered pieces of parchment and saw a few ink drawings among them. Carefully picking one up, I saw it was a picture of Eva and I sitting under our favorite tree, laughing. I smiled at the tender feeling she managed to create in the picture.

A small groan brought me to my senses. Turning my head, I saw Eva slowly sit up and stretch her limbs. For some weird reason, my heart fluttered at the sight.

'Ugh, how long was I out?', she asked groggily, gazing at me with sleep-glazed eyes.

'Oh, only about an hour. Here', I said, passing the salad and a fork to her. 'Food'

She took it gratefully and dug into it, wolfing down the various pieces of vegetables in the bowl. After a few minutes, she passed the bowl back and looked around for more. Chuckling softly, I passed her a chocolate cupcake while I got the other one. She ate it eagerly while I made mine last for awhile.

'So, tell me what the hell happened to me during the fight'. She stated, making herself comfortable in her bed.

I took a deep breath and started to tell her about the fight, blow by blow, from the point where Dreyrgjarn took control to the point where I had to interfere. With each passing second, her eyes got bigger and bigger.

Once I was done talking, she stated, 'Well, at least Lancelot got what was coming to him. Now he's got a reminder to never piss me off.'

I laughed at that comment.

'Yep, now he'll never bother us again!', I stated playfully, drawing a tired smile out of Eva.

She glanced at the clock and her eyes got bigger.

'Oh, gosh! I'm so sorry for making you ditch your drama class!', she exclaimed.

I only waved a hand dismissively, saying, 'Ah, it's no biggie. You come before any damn class'.

She smiled gratefully and tried to hide a yawn.

'Ah, I should leave; you need more rest. You're lucky today's Friday', I stated, standing and heading for the door.

'Goodnight Artie', she murmured, causing me to look back, smile and whisper, 'Goodnight Eva'.

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_* Dreyrgjarn- eager for blood, bloodthirsty (Old Norse)_


	8. Chapter 8

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A/N Thank you PlatinumGal and kitty-kat-girlyyyxxx for reviewing! If any one else is reading this story, please don't be afraid to review! It only takes maybe less than 5 minutes to leave a quick comment or advice! Please and thank you! and, if you review, you'll get a slice of cake and a cookie! (::) ^_^

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_Eva_

From the time I could get up and move around after that "duel", everyone ether looked at me in fear, or ran away from me; Artie excepted, of course. Well, Lancelot has a permanent reminder of when he pissed me off.

The fact that I'm the last of my race still bothers me, though much less than for the first few days afterwords. For the first few days, I hardly came out of my room. I didn't eat or go to my classes. Artie practically had to force every bite down my throat.

He claims he's perfectly fine with it, but I can't help but to feel guilty I put him through that. He's so kind and gentle and will do anything for the people he cares about, but he doesn't expect anything in return. It just pisses me off that no one besides me has taken the time and effort to get to know him. Sure, he has his flaws, as does everyone else. He can be selfish, cowardly, timid, stubborn, and sometimes takes things the wrong way, but I love him for it.

Oh, shit, did I really just think that? Dammit! Oh, well, it's true! But is it wrong to be crushing on your best friend? Hmm, you tell me.

If only Artie wasn't head over heels over that bitch, Guinevere! That whore doesn't deserve his attention!

Anyway, it was about a month since the day when I kicked Lancelot's ass, and I couldn't find Artie anywhere after Choir class was let out. Dammit, I bet Lancelot's using him for jousting practice again, the bastard. I sighed and quickly made my way to the jousting pitch. Before I could get halfway there, I heard terrified screams coming from the cheerleaders and a few other students. Snickering to myself, I turned around to see what upset them so much, only to see an ogre accompanied by a gray donkey and an orange cat with boots, a black hat, and a small sword attached to his belt.

'Hey, do you know where I can find Arthur Pendragon?', the ogre asked Guin and her friend, who only walked away with their noses upturned.

I turned and hurried to the pitch. What the hell did Artie do now? As I came back through the short tunnel, I saw Lancelot perched on a brown stallion holding his lance facing Artie in cheap armor on a wooden horse dummy. My jaw locked in anger, but I didn't rush out on the pitch, seeing that asshole could trample me to death. Artie's helmet-covered head turned towards me and gazed at me helplessly. I gazed back sympathetically. Just then, Lancelot made his horse rear. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the ogre and his companions come out of the tunnel. They came to a stop right before Lancelot charged towards Artie with his lance out. I had a brief flashback of the duel and had to physically restrain myself from jumping out there and stopping that asshole from hurting my best friend. In a flash, Artie was on the ground and Lancelot was prancing around on his horse. I started to rush towards Artie, but the ogre moved forward, not noticing where he was going and stepped on Artie! I was too far away to hear what they said, but the ogre walked up to Lancelot and swung him over his shoulder. Meanwhile, Artie succeed to get his armor off and was walking away, holding his stomach. I quickly covered the distance and walked beside him silently.

'That dork over there is Artie!', I heard Lancelot yell from behind us, causing both of us to glance back.

Lancelot was over the ogre's shoulder and was pointing directly at Artie. Hearing hurried footsteps, I glanced back to see Artie run off in a random direction. I turned around and glared at the ogre and Lancelot, making the human pale.

'Ooh, she doesn't like you, Shrek', the donkey remarked as I stalked off to try and find Artie.

Ugh, I swear that boy is half elf from the speed he can run away!

Yes, he was nice enough to bring that book about Forest Elves for me to read. Apparently, the elves had their own language called the Ancient Language*. Artie and I decided to try to learn it, as a way for secret conversation. He had a pretty hard time with it, whereas I picked it up right away; I guess it's an elf thing. Eventually, with a good amount of help from me, he got the hang of it, and we've been using it ever since.

'Barzûl knurlag!**', I muttered after 15 minutes of searching for him and headed for the mandatory assembly.

I think it's about "saying nay" and to pick our new mascot, or some useless thing like that. I don't like getting stared at, so I took the back way and ended on the balcony overlooking the gym. I sat down in a shadowy corner and listened to Mr. Jonson make his useless and boring speech. Just as the Vice-Principle was wrapping up his speech, I saw the "nerds" come up here from the other side dragging a gagged Artie between them. His bright green eyes were darting nervously around the balcony until they landed on my hidden figure. His eyes immediately softened to a look of relief.

Before I could do anything, Mr. Jonson announced, 'And the new mascot is-'.

I heard the door bang open and the man exclaimed, 'Ogre!'

What I presume was the ogre said, 'Yes, I'm the new mascot, and now let's beat the other team at...whatever it is we are doing?'

He said the last part like it was a question.

I think he might of grabbed the megaphone from Mr. Jonson, because his voice was louder when he said, 'Now, can anyone tell me where I can find Arthur Pendragon?'

During the time I was listening to the ogre, the Nerds ungagged Artie and dropped him over the edge onto the chandelier. The Nerds started laughing, but I was already moving.

Grabbing them by the collar of their shirts, I dropped them on ether side of the chandelier.

'There, I hope this teaches you not to pick on _my_ best friend!', I announced, jumping onto the top of the metal holding all three of them up and carefully unhooking Artie from it.

Once he landed safely, I jumped down and glared at the Nerds.

'Please don't eat me', I heard Artie say from behind me.

Immediately, I heard a chorus of "Eat him, eat him'.

'I'm not here to eat him!', the ogre announced, causing me to turn around and glare at him.

'You better not be', I growled, stepping up to stand beside my best friend.

The ogre glared at me before turning to Artie and saying, 'Time to pack up your toothbrush and jammies; you're the new king of Far Far Away!'

I gaped at him and said, 'What?'

In the background, I heard Lancelot call, 'Artie, a king? More like the mayor of Loserville! I can see it now! Artie as Mayor, and Eva as his wife!'

I spun around and glared hatefully at the bastard. 'Why don't we go outside and settle this, shall we?', I snarled, gesturing to the door.

He visibly paled and sunk down into his seat a bit.

'Oh, burn!', someone called from within the audience.

'Is this for real?', Artie asked suspiciously, causing me to turn back to the conversation.

'Absolutely! Now clean out your locker, kid, you have a kingdom to run!'

I grinned at Artie as I said, 'You're not going _anywhere_ without _me_, Pendragon!'

He grinned at me and said, 'Give me a sec!'

As he stepped out onto the gym, I realized what he was about to do.

'Oh, for the love of Maiaera!', I whispered, pinching the bridge of my nose and tried to tune Artie's speech out.

'And Guin? Oh, Guin, I've always loved you', Artie stated dreamily.

My entire body flinched, missed by everyone except the orange cat. I saw him give me a searching look before turning back to Artie.

'-I'm building my city people; on rock 'n' roll!', I heard Artie announce before the ogre grabbed him, saying, 'You just overdid it'.

I sniggered as I followed them out.

The ogre put him down and turned to me, saying, 'So, I guess you're going'

I grinned and said, 'At least let me pack up what I have.'

He nodded, and followed Artie and I to our rooms. When I entered mine, I immediately changed into my dark blue dress. I grabbed my suitcase and strapped on my sword and bow, tucking my diary and drawings into the waterproof closeable quiver my weapons' teacher gave me at the orphanage. As I left my former room, I gave it another look around, then closed the door.

Artie and the other three were already out there when I came out. Wordlessly, we strode down the halls and out the front doors. I noticed the cat kept sneaking glances at me as we exited the drawbridge and down the road towards a huge boat in the distance.

Wait, a BOAT?

Oh, man, oh, man! What the hell have I gotten myself into? I felt myself tense up as we got nearer to the boat and the water. Artie knows about my fear, and hung back so that he was walking beside me.

'You ok?', he asked quietly as we neared the cold, dark waters the boat was floating on.

On the beach, I froze up and couldn't move, no matter how much I wanted to.

The ogre noticed this and asked, 'Hey, you comin'?'

Artie went up to him and explained the situation. The green monster only sighed, walked towards me, tossed me over his shoulder, and boarded the boat with Artie trailing after us.

The ogre set me down on the foot of the stairs and said, 'Well, I guess we should get the introductions out of the way. I'm Shrek, and that's Donkey, and the cat is Puss.'

I finally found my voice and said, 'I'm Eva Thalaela.'

Shrek only nodded before walking past me to the wheel of the ship and steered it out to sea. Oh, man, why did I offer to go with Artie? Oh, yea, I'm not gonna get left behind while my best friend gets to rule an entire kingdom!

The rocking of the ship started making me nauseous. Finally, it became too much, and I dashed to the side of the boat to hurl my lunch up. After I hurled my guts out, I scrambled away from the edge of the boat and into a corner. After about a half-hour, my stomach settled down enough to let me stand up without having to run to throw up. I stood up on shaky legs and walked around a bit. After a few minutes, an ominous feeling overtook me, like something somewhere wasn't right. Feeling a shiver run down my spine, I glanced around to see where we were at. The school was a tiny speck on the horizon, and we were sailing parallel to another stretch of land with plenty of sharp looking rocks near the shore.

In the background, I heard Artie talking with Donkey and Shrek.

'What's on your mind, niña?', a Spanish accented voice asked from behind me.

I turned and saw Puss jump up on the railing I was leaning against.

'Oh, nothing much', I replied, brushing my bangs out of my face.

After a bit of silence, Puss asked, 'Please correct me if I'm wrong, but you are an elf, yes?'

Sighing, I nodded and added, 'The last one in existence.'

As I said those words, I felt a sharp pain in my chest.

He patted my hand sympathetically and said, 'I'm sorry to hear that. No person, especially a beautiful young woman like you, should have to carry that burden.'

A small smile wormed its way across my lips as I stated, 'You sure have a way with words'

A small purr-like chuckle was my answer before the cat jumped off and walked away. I watched the water below and started to feel my fear ebb away. Suddenly, the shipped jerked, nearly sending me into the water.

'What the hell!', I yelled, gripping the railing as the ship jerked again.

My stomach churned and bile rose up my throat. Spitting it out, I glanced up to the wheel to see Shrek and Artie fighting over it.

Throwing caution to the wind, I let go of the railing and stepped towards the wheel, intending to stop the argument, when Artie suddenly let go of the wheel and used the momentum to break the entire thing off. The ship jerked again, making me slip on the wood and hit the side of a barrel.

My vision started to flicker, and right before it faded completely, I heard someone yell ,'Shrek!'.

_

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_* Yes, this is an Eragon reference. I'm gonna be using a combonation of the Ancient Language and the Dwarf Language in this fic, from the Eragon book series._

_** Barzûl knurlag- Curse him_

_I don't own Shrek 3 or its characters! I only own Eva, Mr. Jonson, Queen Maiaera, and any other OC in here!_

_~Meerkatgirl13_


	9. Chapter 9

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_A/N I'm sorry for not uploading this earlier, i had some thing to take care of before i could write. Thank you kitty-kat-girlyyyxxx, Pca student, and Chipette Star for reviewing! Here, have some cake and a cookie! (::) The next chapter is the fire scene, and a revelation. I don't own Shrek 3 and its characters, i only own Eva, , Maiaera, and any other OC that's in here!_

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_Artie_

I knew this was too good to be true! I'm just not ready to be king, why can't Shrek see that?

'Shrek!', Donkey yelled, sounding panicked.

The green monster and I looked up at the same time and saw that the ship was heading for some sharp looking rocks. Shrek hastily put the wheel back inside of the hole and desperately tried to steer the ship.

Wait, where's Eva?

I glanced around for her and what I found make my heart stop for a beat or two. She was passed out by the foot of the stairs. Without a single thought of my own safety, I rushed down the stairs and grabbed Eva's lifeless form right before the ship jerked violently and sent us into the water.

Somehow, Eva and I were separated as we both tumbled into the cold, salty abyss. Violently kicking my legs, I surfaced and looked around for that familiar blue dress. When I didn't find any trace of it, I took a deep breath and dove under, desperately searching for my best friend. I had to surface twice before I found her. Quickly grabbing her arm, I kicked to the surface again and swam to shore.

She didn't look good at all. Her skin had a deathly pallor to it and her head lolled from side to side. I silently thanked the gods for land as my feet hit the sandy bottom. I picked Eva up and quickly splashed my way to the beach, where I set her down on the sand. She wasn't breathing. I panicked and started doing CPR on her. I pinched her nose and took a deep breath, quickly covering her mouth with mine and breathing the air into her lungs. I pumped her chest a few times and repeated the process again. This time, she coughed violently and rolled over to spit some salt water and bile out. Only then did I notice that we were wet and that every curve on her body showed. I felt my cheeks get warm and I looked down at the sand to prevent me from staring at her.

'W-what happened?', Eva asked, struggling to sit up.

I gently pushed her down again and said, 'We basically crashed.'

She blinked, trying to comprehend my words.

'What the hell do you mean "we crashed"? How in Maiaera's bloody name do you crash a freaking boat?', she yelled, struggling to sit up again before I pushed her back down.

'Someone decided not to be king and tried to turn the boat around!', Shrek yelled from behind me.

She glared at him then turned her gaze to me, her scalding look softening.

'Why don't you wanna be king?', she asked gently.

'I'm not ready', I mumbled, looking away from her questioning violet eyes.

'Well, you comin' or not?', Shrek yelled from behind us.

We looked up to see the ogre looking at us expectantly at the mouth of a trail. I heard a grunt and saw Eva struggling to get up.

'Here', I murmured, sliding my arms under her legs and back, easily picking her up.

Wow, she must be tired, she didn't protest at all. She only sighed, leaned her head against my chest and wrapped her arms around my neck. I've never seen her this weak and vulnerable. My heart immediately started to speed up at her soft touch. I wonder why.

We passed Shrek and he immediately tried talking to me in "hip and modern" language.

'Shrek', Eva called softly. 'Shut up!'

He kept going as we reached a clearing with a house.

I ran towards it, yelling, 'Help, We've been kidnapped by a monster that's trying to relate to us!'

Eva started laughing weakly, her chuckles vibrating my body slightly. I set her down on a log and pounded on the door. Suddenly, the crystals that were beside the door lit up and a familiar head appeared in the glow. I heard Eva yelp, a dull thud, and an 'ow'. She must of fallen off the log.

'Greetings, cosmic children of the universe. Welcome to my serenity circle. Please leave any bad vibes outside of the healing vortex', the head said, then sputtered out.

Someone opened the door and came out.

'Oh, I knew I should of gotten that warranty!', he stated irritably, punching the crystals and making it spark into his eye.

'Mr. Merlin?', Eva and I asked in disbelief.

'You two know this guy?', Shrek asked me.

'Ya, he used to be the magic teacher at the school, before his nervous breakdown', I explained.

'Technically, I was merely a victim of level 3 fatigue and at the request of my therapist...and the school authorities, I retired to the tranquility of nature to discover my divine purpose', he retorted before adding, 'And you still owe me a detention, young man!'

'Ha! I told you that'll bite you in the ass one day!', Eva shouted from her perch on the log.

I turned my head and said, 'Ono waíse hljödhr, vanyali!*'

She smiled and retorted, 'Séhr eka, knurlag!**'

While I was having my little "argument" with Eva, Shrek and Mr. Merlin were having an argument themselves.

'Look, can you just give us directions to Far far Away?', Shrek groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

'I would, but since you two are in the middle of a self-destructive rage spiral, it would be karmically irresponsible', Merlin retorted.

'Self destr...look, we don't give a shit about your fucking karma crap, just give us directions!', Eva called angrily from the log.

'One, it's not crap, young lady, and you need to watch your mouth. Two, I might, but only after you take the journey to your soul!', Merlin retorted angrily.

'Uh, no', Shrek stated, glaring at my former teacher.

'Look pal, it's ether that or some primal scream therapy', Merlin retorted, then started to scream.

Thankfully, Shrek shut him up and said, 'Alright, fine, journey to your soul it is.'

With that settled, I went over and sat beside Eva on the log.

'You ok?', I asked.

She nodded and said, 'Ya, Just a bit tired and sore'.

I smiled I relief and placed a hand on her shoulder.

'I'm just glad you're alive', I murmured, thinking about what could of happened.

I felt a hand on top of mine.

'I am to', the elf whispered, smiling with a faint blush on her cheeks.

I felt heat seep into my face as I gazed into her violet eyes. I've never really noticed that she was, actually, really pretty, beautiful even. No, wait, stop! She's my best friend, I shouldn't have these feelings for her! I shook my head slightly and slid my hand off of her shoulder. I swore I saw hurt and disappointment flash across her eyes before she disguised it with a look of calm. Eh, it must have been my imagination.

Glancing around for anything to look at besides Eva, I saw Donkey and Puss giving us knowing looks before busying themselves with getting wood for a fire. Ok, that was a bit strange.

'You never told me you were royalty', Eva commented from beside me, sounding a bit hurt.

'I thought they forgot all about me. Apparently, the king asked for me personally', I stated with a shrug.

'That's great!', Eva exclaimed.

'I guess, but I'm not nearly ready to be king, and I highly doubt I'll ever be ready', I retorted bitterly.

I felt a hand on my shoulder.

'I think you are', was her comment, then she slid her hand off of my shoulder.

I couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed at the lack of her touch. Hearing a small grunt, I glanced up to see Eva standing above me, swaying slightly.

'I'll be back', she muttered before wandering off towards the trees.

Sighing, I got up and started to help look for firewood.

________

_

* * *

_

* _Ono waíse hljödhr, vanyali- you be silent, elf_

** _Séhr eka, knurlag- make me, human_


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N Thank you kitty-kat-girlyyyxxx, Pca student, Chipette Star, QueenOfHearts, Setsuna Noyamano, and PlatinumGal for reviewing! I love you guys! A cookie and a slice of cake for all of you! ^_^ Well, this is the next chapter. This is the chapter with the fire scene, and it includes a revilation! ^_^ I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

_Eva_

I staggered my way to the trees, partly because I had to go to the bathroom. The other was because I wanted to get away from everyone and have some time to think.

I wandered through the trees until I came across a small flowing creek. Great, now I really need to go. After retreating to a bush to do my business, I spotted a weeping willow tree beside the creek. I made my way to it and carefully sat beneath the low branches of the tree.

Gently dipping my fingers into the stream, I watched the small rapids rush by, without a care in the world. It doesn't care if it runs through a battlefield or not, or if it witnesses the slaughter of an entire race. It probably doesn't care if red blood was washed into its waters, it just carries on, laughing and playing among the trees.

If only people were the same way. There wouldn't be any wars, slaughter, hate, abuse, sorrow, pain. We would all be living in a world of peace and love, and children would be running and playing, much like this stream. Our biggest worries would be being on time for dinner.

But, of course, people aren't like this stream. Some enjoy pain and slaughter, and the _glory_ that comes with it. Heh, glory, what a _stupid_ and _pathetic_ excuse for killing another living thing. Why would you want to be known for killing and slaughtering things in your path? It's plain ass stupid! I rather be known for helping take care of life, not taking it away.

But, then again, I can't really talk. I mean, I've killed a few people, but it was only out of self defense.

The elves aren't that innocent, either. They killed hundreds of humans and burned down hundreds of homes, despite their love for life.

It really is a shame people of any race are blinded to the similarities that we all share. We share the same earth, the same sky, the same moon, the same sun, the same water and air, the same passion in our hearts. We share the same tears for the same reasons, the same pain and sorrow. We are all blinded to all of that, because of our greed and envy. The humans envied the elves' natural abilities, so what did that do? They declared war against us. The elves envied the success the humans had, so what did we do? We burned down their resources. All of this could have been prevented if we had seen past our jealousy and envy and looked at our similarities, instead of our differences.

Heh, I am such a hypocrite! Even though I want peace and dislike killing, I plan on killing the man that took my innocence away when I was a child. Once Artie gets settled as king, or rather _if_ he gets settled as king, I'm going to find the bastard and rid the universe of him.

Then, I might go back, or I might wander around for a while, then go back. Either way, I'm going back to Artie. Perhaps we'll get together, or we'll remain as friends. It'll practically kill me if we do, but I rather keep his friendship then to throw it away for one selfish act.

A small touch on my shoulder broke me out of my thoughts, and startled me to no end. I jumped up and spun around, habitually drawing my sword. Standing there is a very scared-looking Artie, his green eyes wide. Taking a deep breath, I lowered my sword, feeling my entire body trembling from fear and adrenaline.

'Don't do that, I could have killed you!', I stated in a trembling voice, not wanting to imagine what could of happened.

He drew in a shaky breath and said, 'Sorry, I was starting to get worried, so I decided to try to find you, in case you passed out or something.'

I sheathed my sword and stated, 'No, I'm the one that should be apologizing. I shouldn't have reacted like that.'

I smiled softly and he returned it. We walked back together to the clearing, where there was a roaring fire near the log. Shrek was cooking some poor animal on a spit over the flames.

'Well, it looks like I'm going hungry tonight', I muttered, taking a seat as far away from the ogre as I could.

Artie seated himself beside me and gazed at the animals hungrily. I only shook my head and pulled out a few blank sheets of parchment from my quiver, along with various sizes of brushes, a quill, and some black ink. Using my diary as a surface, I placed a sheet over it and popped the ink open, carefully dipping a small brush in it and painting the clearing. That took up the better part of an hour before I had to set it aside to let it dry. As I glanced up, I saw that the sun was almost touching the horizon.

'Here', Shrek stated before shoving a cooked field rat into my hands.

My stomach churned at the sickening smell as I passed it off to Artie.

'She doesn't eat meat', Artie explained as I held my stomach, willing myself not to puke again.

It was a bit after the others had eaten that my stomach finally settled down. After a little bit, Merlin came out with a small bag in one of his hands.

'Now, all of you, look into the Fire of Truth and tell me what you see!', he said dramatically, then threw some of the powder into the fire, making it flare up.

'Ooh, charades! Okay, I see a Dutch fudge torte with cinnamon swirls!', Donkey stated, sitting down and looking into the fire eagerly.

'Ok, monster, now your turn', Merlin stated to Shrek.

The ogre glared at the wizard for a split second before bending down and gazing into the fire. He looked distressed for a moment, then blew at the smoke.

'I see a rainbow pony', he stated nervously.

'Wonderful work! Now the boy', Merlin stated enthusiastically, turning to Artie.

'This is lame', he muttered, earning a smack to the back of his head.

I snorted in amusement, earning myself a glare from my best friend. He sighed and gazed into the flames.

'Ok. There's a baby bird and a father bird sitting in a nest', He stated.

I listened with rapt attention and tried to block out Merlin's annoying drumming.

'Wait, the dad just flew away. Why did he leave the little bird all alone? It's trying to fly, but it doesn't know how to. It's gonna fall!' He drumming stopped abruptly.

I put my arm around Artie and squeezed slightly, then let my arm fall to my side again.

'Whew, proper head case you are! Now, the elf', Merlin commented, turning to me.

I sighed and stated. 'Let's just get this over with'

The old man threw another handful of that powder in the flames. As I gazed into the flames, I saw a scene forming.

_Two wolves formed, one black with a silver tiara on its head, the other white, with a black crown. The black one laid down on its side and gave birth to a violet wolf. The two wolves nuzzled their pup affectionately, then the white one looked up and barked a warning. A group of wild cats attacked and killed the two adult wolves after the black one hid the pup. The pup was found by two foxes, one golden colored, and one with white butterfly-like wings. They led the wolf to shelter, where they stayed awhile. The golden fox grew a bit, along with the pup. The butterfly-winged fox left the shelter, and then the golden fox took advantage of the wolf and did unspeakable things to her. The winged fox returned and chased the pup out of the den, snapping at her hind legs. The pup wandered alone until she accidentally bumped into an old bear. The pup cowered, expecting to be killed on the spot, but the bear led her to a huge place where rabbits and birds lived. She stayed there, and the old bear taught her how to use her claws and teeth in battle. The wolf pup couldn't get close to any of the birds or rabbits; they feared she would kill them. Once, the pup went out of the shelter and ran into two snakes. The snakes attacked the pup, but she quickly killed them, using the moves the bear taught her. After that, she ran back into the shelter, and never left it. The pup grew under the bear's care, until he died. The wolf howled in sorrow as she watched him die, tears staining her violet coat. The adult rabbits and birds then had her loaded to a carriage, then watched her leave. She arrived at another building, where cats lived. The only bird there, one with golden feathers and startling green eyes, went out of their way to greet her._

A small touch on my hand startled me out of my trance. Looking around, I saw that everyone were staring at me with worried expressions on their faces.

'What did you see?', Merlin asked excitedly.

I locked my jaw and shook my head.

'No? Well, in that case, I'm going to bed', Merlin announced, heading into his house and shutting the door after him.

The others all turned back to me.

'What?', I asked defensively.

'Eva, I know you're upset about something. Can you at least tell me what's wrong?', Artie asked, his green eyes gazing at me in worry.

I looked around at the others, and they nodded encouragingly.

Finally, I sighed and stated, 'Fine, but once I start, I'm not gonna stop.'

After that, I took a deep breath and told them what I saw, and what I think my visions meant. Well, basically, I told them my entire past, except the names of the people. After I uttered my last sentence, there was a shocked silence. I braced myself for the questions, but they never came. Instead, I felt arms wrap around my figure and squeeze. Instinctively, I returned the gesture, knowing who it was. I felt my heart beat faster at the gesture.

'I don't know how you can deal with a past like yours. All I can really say is, I'm sorry', Artie whispered into my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

When we finally pulled away from each other, there were no knowing looks from Donkey or Puss, only identical looks of sympathy. Shrek doused the fire and sat on the log beside a ways down from us. Artie and him shared a small smile. Ok, what the hell did I miss? Just a few hours ago, they were at each-others' throats!

I gave Artie a questioning look, but he just grinned and whispered, 'I'll tell you later'.

I nodded and settled on the ground to sleep.

'Atra larua, Artie*', I whispered to the figure beside me.

'Atra larua, Eva*', he whispered back, followed by silence.

I closed my eyes and let a tear slip down my cheek before sleep claimed me.

* * *

_A/N Ok, what Eva saw in the fire was her entire past, just substituting the people with animals. I have a little challange for you! If the elf race was still alive, what do you think Eva's standing would be among them, based on the hints in the fire scene? please PM me with your guess, just in case you guess right! That doesn't mean not review, because you know i love them! Oh, and what do you think would be a good theme song for Eva (or Artie/Eva) would be? Thank you for reading, and please, please review! ^_^ I don't own Shrek 3 or its characters, I only own Eva, Mr. Jonson, Maiaera, and any other OC that's in here!_

_*Atra larua- Goodnight_

_~Meerkatgirl13_


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N Thank you, kitty-kat-girlyyyxxx, Chipette Star, Pca Student, PlatinumGal, and CrazyPops D for reviewing! Thank you kitty-kat-girlyyyxxx, PlatinumGal, and CrazyPops D for the song suggestions! I took a look at all of them and damn, it's a bit eerie how much the songs describe the couple! I might just use a few of them in a few upcoming chapters. ^_^ And to PlatinumGal: Your guess was right, but SHHH, plz? To the rest of my readers: You'll see what the answer is in an upcoming chapter! ^_^ Please, please read and review, and have some cake and a cookie! (::)_

* * *

_Shrek_

I woke up with an uneasy feeling in my gut. As I got up off the hard ground, I yawned and glanced around the small camp, my gaze finally landing on Eva and Artie. I let a small smile creep over my face at the scene.

Eva was snuggled up against Artie, her head tucked underneath his chin. One hand rested on his heart, while the other one was on his stomach. Artie had both of his arms wrapped around the girl's waist protectively, one hand was resting on her thigh while the other one was on her waist. Both of them had soft smiles on their faces.

In the background, I heard a bird chirping, only to squawk like it was hit with something. I turned around and then noticed trees that weren't there yesterday. Hearing rustling, I glanced around again to see some of the trees moving towards us.

Oh, this can't be good.

Hearing a thud, I turned slightly to see Eva and Artie on the ground, scrambling to get up, blushes on both of their faces. Piano music started playing, then Captain Hook with a piano appeared.

'Look out! They got a piano!', Donkey yelled as the trees backed us all up to the center of the camp.

'Fuck the piano!', Eva muttered, drawing her sword.

'Kill them all, except the fat one. King Charming has something special in mind for you, ogre', Hook stated, pointing to me.

'King Charming?', I repeated.

'Attack!', Hook shouted, then a bunch of men swung down from the trees.

'Game on', Eva whispered, a killer smile on her face.

_Eva_

'Game on', I whispered, letting a smile slip onto my face as I let Dreyrgjarn start to control my actions.

I can control Dreyrgjarn enough so that I won't go on a killing spree. I only let myself go until I have enough "blood lust" to quicken my actions and to strengthen my blows.

A few men came at me, but faltered slightly when they saw my insane grin. Before I could stop myself, I knocked by their defenses and killed them on the spot.

A small spot of guilt imbedded itself in my heart, but I tried to ignore it as the battle progressed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Artie using the battle skills I taught him.

Suddenly, a man grabbed me from behind and another one wrenched my sword from my hand.

Breaking free from the man's grip, I didn't hesitate to pick him up and throw him across the field and into a tree. I didn't realize that the men backed Artie, Donkey and Puss up to me, or the net we were standing on, until the net was yanked up by two tree-people, trapping all of us in one place. Only then did I notice the cannon aimed right at us. Puss unsheathed one of his claws and desperately started to saw through the thick rope.

'Shrek! Help!', Artie and Donkey yelled, making me flinch slightly. Shrek jumped onto the wooden plank and threw a chest onto the other side, making him fly through the air and land right in front of the cannon. He grabbed the front of it and strained to lift it up. Meanwhile, the fuse was burning down quickly. We all huddled down as the fuse burned. We all heard a grunt and then a blast. The piano music that was playing stopped abruptly with the sound of wood breaking.

The trees dropped us, and we all landed on the ground roughly. As fate would have it, I landed on top of Artie.

Dammit Fate, are you _trying_ to torture me?

I quickly scrambled off of him, feeling heat seep into my cheeks.

'Ye cowards!', the man with a hook for a hand yelled, shaking said hook at the retreating men.

Now that I saw completely sane, I flinched at the sight of the bodies on the ground; killed by my hand. My heart twinged with guilt and remorse.

'What has Charming done with Fiona?', Shrek asked menacingly, stalking up to Hook-man.

Charming...why does that name seem so familiar?

'She's gonna get what's coming to her! And their ain't nothing you can do to stop him!', Hook-man yelled as he was getting carried away by a tree-person.

Donkey, Puss, Artie and I all ran up to Shrek, avoiding the bodies.

'We've got to save her!', Puss exclaimed.

'But she's so far far away!', Donkey added.

Shrek thought for a moment before turning to us saying, 'Get yourselves back to Worcestershire.'

I opened my mouth to protest, but Artie cut me off, saying, ' No, Shrek, hold on a sec, I have an idea'

Closing my mouth, I watched Artie walk up to Merlin, who was pretending to be a bee, and try to convince him to help us.

'Forget it, I don't have that kind of magic in me anymore. How about a hug, that's the best kind of magic!', Merlin replied to Artie's pleas, offering him a hug.

I've always thought that man was a pedophile.

As soon as I saw Artie's eyebrows head south, I knew exactly what he was about to do. I covered my mouth with my hand once Artie started sniffing and "sobbing". Once he started talking, I had to hide behind Shrek's back so that I wouldn't ruin Artie's effect.

'-There's a mean person doing really mean things to people-!', Artie sobbed, making me pound against Shrek's back weakly, trying extremely hard not to make a sound.

Thank you, Drama, class!

'Ok, I'll go get my things',Merlin stated, running off to do the latter.

I wiped the tears off of my face and followed Shrek to where Artie was getting up off the ground.

'Piece of cake', he stated, winking at me and making my heart flutter.

'Well, well, would you like some eggs with that ham?', Shrek asked, smirking at him.

I hugged him and stated, 'That was epic!'

He smiled and hugged me briefly, pulling away when Merlin came back.

'Now, I am a little rusty, so there might be some side effects', the old wizard stated, coming back with a pointy hat and an old book.

'Side effects?', Donkey repeated, looking a bit alarmed.

'Don't worry. Whatever it is, no matter how excruciating painful it may be, it will wear off eventually. I think', Merlin reassured, not really sounding too confident.

He cracked his knuckles and released a magical beam from it, blowing a rock near Donkey to pieces.

'Are you sure this is a good idea?', Donkey asked, jumping away from the rock.

'If Artie and Eva trust him, then that's good enough for me', Shrek stated, then added, 'Even if his robe doesn't quite cover...'

I only shook my head and covered my eyes. I _really _don't wanna see old-man parts!

'Alacritious expeditious...a-zoomy-zoom-zoom! Let's help our friends get back...um, soon!', Merlin said dramatically, moving his hands in strange ways, then released this blue-whiteish magic that surrounded us like a cocoon.

I felt this strange sense of weightlessness, then this feeling like I was flying. It was really weird. Suddenly, we all dropped from a cloud and into a tree that was right below us. I managed to grab on to the first branch that I hit and hold on to it while the others fell to the ground, hitting more branches on the way.

'Man, I haven't been on a trip like that since collage', Puss said, but he sounded like Donkey.

I was laughing so hard I nearly fell off of my branch when Puss, in Donkey's body, dropped out of the tree and started complaining about his new body.

'So, you two think this is funny?', Donkey asked, pointing at Artie and Shrek, who were laughing.

'Three, actually', I added in between my giggles, swinging down from my branch to the ground.

'Damn, I wish I had a camcorder, I could make a million off of you two!', I exclaimed, earning identical glares from Puss and Donkey.

'I'm really sorry guys', Artie said after he got over his laughing fit.

'Don't be, you got us back, kid', Shrek stated, pointing to a vast city in the distance.

I presume that is Far Far Away. We all started for the city, Artie and I walking side by side until we got to the road. For some reason, I felt a growing sense of unease as we headed for the city. Donkey and Puss were still complaining about their new bodies.

'If you two don't stop complaining, I'll give you something to complain about!', I stated after awhile, reaching back to pat the hilt of my sword, only to find it wasn't there.

Ah, shit!

Dammit, I think I left my sword at Merlin's with the bodies. I had to suppress a shiver of guilt as I thought about the bodies in the clearing. After about 10 minutes, Shrek started running towards a huge gate with the words "Far Far Away" engraved in the stone above it. The others had to run to catch up to him, while I only jogged. We all stopped once we got inside the gate and looked at the town, or should I say remains of the town.

_

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_

_~Meerkatgirl13_

A/N Oh, spirits, i fail at writing from Shrek's PoV! _ Well, next chapter is my least favourite scene from the movie; the castle scene. Oh, spirits how i hate that scene! Anyway, i couldn't help but put that little scene with Eva and Artie, it was too good to pass up! Please review, it gets you faster updates! ^_^ I don't own Shrek 3 or its characters, i only own Eva, Mr. Jonson, Maiaera, and any other OC that's in here!


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N Thank you Setsuna Noyamano, Pca student, kitty-kat-girlyyyxxx, CrazyPops D, Chipette Star, and redrosegirl3 for reviewing! I love you guys! Well, this chapter is the castle scene with Charming; my least favorate scene in the entir movie. *sighs* Oh, well, it needs to be done. next chapter is the jail break-out and the play. BTW, the next chapter is NOT the last chapter, i have more in store for Eva! *laughs evily* Oh, and this is a songfic chapter, BTW. Anyway, please read and review, and have some pie! *offers a slice of pie and a fork*_

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The streets were filthy, and the buildings all looked run-down. There was a teetering carriage coming our way, and tipped over before it got to us. A drunken man shouted at it while he was pick-pocketed by a girl in a red cloak.

'Pinocchio?', Shrek stated, running up to a dancing wooden puppet inside a glass box.

'Shrek! Help me!', the puppet pleaded, stopping his dance immediately and pressing his hands against the glass.

I looked around at the city as Shrek questioned the puppet, eventually asking Puss for five bucks. Apparently, Puss keeps his money in one of his boots.

'Wait, wait, Pinocchio, what show?', Shrek asked the puppet, who pointed to a poster on a building.

'It's a Happily Ever After After All', Puss read.

'Shrek's final performance?', Shrek continued, reading the banner under the poster.

'Oh, Shrek, you didn't tell us you were in a play!', Donkey stated, moving up closer to the poster.

'Ya, it was so secret, even he didn't know about it', I commented scarcasticaly, rolling my eyes at Donkey.

'The ogre! Get him!', a guard called, then a bunch of them surrounded us.

I reached up again out of habit and only felt empty air.

'Dammit!', I hissed, backing up as the guards surrounded us.

'Don't worry, I'll handle this', Puss whispered then proceeded to to some weird thing with his eyes.

It might have looked cute, if he was in his own body, but in Donkey's body, it was plain creepy. Apparently, the guards thought so, too.

'Ugh, kill it!', one of them said advancing on us again.

Thank you, spirits, for Artie's quick thinking!

'Look. Don't you know who he thinks he is? How dare you! He's a star, people! Hello? I'm so sorry about this, Mr. Shrek', Artie stated, like he was Shrek's manager.

We all quickly caught on to the act.

'I'm gonna lose it!', Shrek said, acting like a prima donna actor.

'I assume the dressing room is ready for tonight. I cannot work on my client if the dressing room isn't ready for our arrival!', I half-yelled, stepping forward, and then gesturing to Shrek.

'Ya, breakfast croissant stuffed with seared sashimi tuna, oh and please tell me you have the saffron corn with jalapeno honey butter. Our client cannot get into his proper emotional state without his jalapeno honey butter!', Donkey yelled, followed by Shrek stating, 'I just lost it!'

The guards looked confused.

'Maybe they should talk to Nancy in Human Resources?'

'Oh, we will have much to say to Nancy, I promise!', Puss exclaimed.

We all followed the guards up to the castle, keeping the act up all the while. The guards led us to a wooden door inside of the castle. One of them stopped to read it.

'Well, it looks like we have to go to King Charming himself to get this problem fixed. His dressing room is upstairs, down the hall, and the last one on your right', the guard stated, pointing to a staircase at the end of the hall.

He left, and we all smirked at each-other.

'Well, shall we go and kick some ass?', I asked, leading the way to the staircase.

Surprisingly, the door to the dressing room was unlocked. I pushed the doors open and let everyone inside, then closed them afterwords. We hid in a shadowy corner of the room, and waited for this Charming guy to come in. After about 10 minutes, a guy came into the room and sat down at the dresser.

Ok, why the hell does this guy look so damn familiar?

Charming started talking to this porcelain figurine of a fairy on the desk, referring to it as "Mummy". The man turned the mirror slightly and saw Shrek's reflection in it.

'Break a leg. Or on second thought, let me break it for you', Shrek stated, stalking towards the man and picking him up.

'Where's Fiona?', Shrek asked, shaking Charming a bit.

'Don't worry, she and the others are safe...for now', Charming stated just as a group of guards burst into the room, grabbing Artie and I and pointing their weapons at the ogre.

Shrek set him down, glaring at him all the while. My heart lept up to my throat when Charming turned and headed towards Artie.

'Hmm, let me guess. Arthur', Charming stated, stopping right in front of Artie.

'It's Artie, actually', he corrected, glaring at Charming.

'This boy is supposed to be the new king of Far Far Away. How pathetic', Charming commented, drawing a knife and holding it to Artie's throat.

'You fucking hurt him, and I'll tear you apart, limb by limb!', I snarled, my voice sounding low and dangerous.

Charming glanced my way and his eyes widened a fraction of an inch. The man lowered the knife and walked towards me.

'Ah, Eva, is that you? My, my have you grown', Charming commented, taking in my figure with hungry eyes.

'Who the hell are you and how the hell do you know me?', I asked, confusion flooding my entire body.

'You don't remember me? I certainly remember you. It's hard to forget eyes like yours, even if it has been 11 years since one has seen them', Charming asked mockingly, roughly grabbing my face with one hand and forcing me to look at his face.

11 years since he has seen me? It's been 11 years since I was...no. Is this him? My eyes landed on the picture attached to the mirror; the one of the fairy. Oh, my fucking spirits, it _is_him! I felt a few of the effects of Dreyrgjarn flow into my veins. I yanked one of my arms free and punched him in the face, sending him flying against the mirror. I felt more guards take a hold on me, but I didn't care.

'YOU FUCKING MONSTER!', I screamed at Charming, struggling against the guards who held me back.

Charming got up and drew his dagger, stalking to Artie and holding it against his throat again.

'Continue struggling, and I'll kill him', Charming stated.

That stopped me in my tracks. I looked up, my eyes wide in fear and anger.

'Charming, stop! I'm here now. You got what you wanted. This isn't about them', Shrek stated, making me stare at him in disbelief.

'Then who's it about? I'm supposed to be king, right?', Artie asked, confusion written all over his face.

'You weren't really next in line for the throne, I was', Shrek stated, looking a bit guilty.

'But you said the King asked for me personally', Artie stated a look of betrayal on his face.

'Not exactly. I wasn't fit for the job, and I needed some fool to replace me. And you fit the bill', Shrek retorted angrily.

My heart broke at the sight of Artie's hurt face. He broke out of the guard's grip and started heading for the door.

'Artie! Please don't leave!', I called, starting to struggle again.

He paused at the door, then looked back at me with a hard, cold look in his eye that I have never seen before.

'I don't want a psychotic killer as a friend', he stated coldly, then stalked out the door.

What was left of my heart shattered as I watched Artie leave. I felt hot tears streak down my face as I slumped in the guards' grasp. I have nothing to live for, now. Artie was all that I had. He was the only one that helped me get over everything I had ever been through. He was the only one who lifted me out of that cold darkness, only to drop me back in. He's the only person that knows me, inside and out. That one saying, "the ones you love are the ones that hurt you the most", the person who thought of that was right. I have never felt a pain like this. I barely heard Charming ordering his men to imprison Donkey, Puss and I. Only when the guards started to force me to walk, did I realize where I was going. I don't care. My will to fight walked out the doors with Artie.

I vaguely remember one of the guards confiscating my quiver as we walked. I kept my head lowered, letting my tears drip to the ground. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Puss and Donkey giving me sympathetic looks. I ignored them and concentrated on walking. An old song started playing in my head, one that described my state of mind really well. I sighed and started singing the song softly and only where I could understand it.

_Sound the bugle now _

_play it just for me_

_As the seasons change... _

_remember how I used to be_

_Now I can't go on..._

_I can't even start_

_I've got nothing left... _

_just an empty heart._

_I'm a soldier... _

_wounded so I must give up the fight_

_There's nothing more for me... _

_lead me away_

_Or leave me lying here_

_Sound the bugle now... _

_tell them I don't care_

_There's not a road I know that leads to anywhere_

_Without a light, I fear that I will stumble in the dark_

_Lay right down and decide not to go on_

_Then from on high, somewhere in the distance _

_There's a voice that calls,_

_"Remember who you are... _

_if you lose yourself, _

_Your courage soon will follow,_

_So be strong tonight... _

_remember who you are"_

Just as I got to that phrase, I heard faint whispers on the wind. I lifted my head slightly to listen.

'Eva, never forget who you are. I know you are lost, my daughter, but find strength in what you have and in what you are. Do what you think is right, my daughter, and you will find happiness in the end...', a voice whispered on the wind, filling me with courage and hope.

I lifted my head and enjoyed the feeling of the cool wind on my face, drying my tears. A faint smile crossed my lips as I finished the song.

_Yeah, your a soldier now,_

_Fighting in a battle,_

_To be free once more._

_Yeah, that's worth fighting for_

As I uttered those words, I felt my old fire come surging back into me. I stood up straight and walked the rest of the way to the prison with my head up. As we walked, a medium sized building with dull gray stones came into view. We were escorted inside, and one of the guards produced keys and unlocked a cell full of women.

_

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_

A/N I'm sorry if the songfic part sounded a bit...cheesy. Yes, Eva did hear the voice of her mother, and you guys WILL find out who her parents are in a later chapter. I don't own the song or Shrek 3 and its characters! I only own Eva and any other OC that's in here!

_Song: Sound the Bugle- Bryan Adams (from the Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron soundtrack)_

_~Meerkatgirl13_


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N Thank you Pca student, kitty-kat-girlyyyxxx, redrosegirl3, CrazyPops D, Setsuna Noyamano, xAngelWingsx, PlatinumGal, Chipette Star, and angel2 for reviewing! I absolutely adore you guys! You all deserve pie, ice cream, brownies, and any other kind of dessert you want! But, beware, the cake is a lie! lmao XD I never knew Artie's actions would cause such an uproar! O_O but, anyway, this is the next chapter, and i hope it's up to par. No, this is NOT the last chapter; i have more in store for Eva! Well, please read and review, since you know i love them! ^_^_

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I presume these are princesses. They threw Puss and Donkey in, then shoved me roughly, making me fall to the ground. One of the women helped me up.

Smiling, I said, 'Thanks'

All of the women turned to stare at me.

'What? Do I have something on my face?', I asked self consciously.

'Who are you?', one of the women asked.

'I'm Eva', I replied.

'What are you doing here, Donkey?', the ogress, whom I think is Fiona, asked, turning to Puss.

I think all of them got a pretty good shock when Donkey answered in Puss's body. Biting my lip in an effort to not giggle, I leaned against the wall and listened to Donkey explaining our situation. Fiona looked alarmed at Shrek's fate, then looked determined.

'We need to get out of here, now!', she stated forcefully.

'You're right', the princess with short black hair said. 'Ladies, assume the position'

Three of the princesses took on helpless poses, making Fiona and I scoff.

'What in Maiaera's name are you doing?' I asked disbelievingly, pushing off from the wall and crossing my arms.

'Waiting to be rescued', one of them replied, making me raise an eyebrow.

'Are you serious?', Fiona asked, striding forward until she was beside me.

'Well, what do you expect us to do? We're just four...i mean three, super hot princesses, three circus freaks, a pregnant ogre, and an old lady!', the princess with black hair asked.

'Hey, who are you calling "circus freak" human?', I growled. 'I am an elf, thank you very much, and that elf is gonna bust you _all_ out of here!'

The elderly woman turned to me and said, 'Please excuse our manners. I'm Queen Lillian, and this is Fiona, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Doris'.

The Queen pointed to each princess in turn, landing on the more plainer woman in the cell.

The ogress smiled and turned to Donkey and Puss, saying, 'Once we get out, you two will go into town and round up the others, then meet us back at the castle'

They both saluted her with grins.

'Now, how are you going to get us out?', Fiona asked, turning to me.

Smiling, I closed my eyes and allowed some of my bloodlust to strengthen my limbs. Opening my eyes, I drew back my fist and punched the wall, breaking through the stone. Hearing faint cries of shock and amazement, I strode through the hole and did the same thing with the other wall.

Standing to one side of the wall, I ushered the princesses out, crying, 'Gánga, gánga*!'

I followed Puss out and jogged to catch up with the princesses. I heard the princesses discussing battle plans when I got there.

'Ok, Snow, when we get to the gates, there's probably gonna be guards there. I want you to control the animals and have them attack the guards on my signal', Fiona stated as we neared the gates.

She nodded and went off behind a tree while we hid behind a low wall. We carefully peeked and saw two of the tree-people that tried to kidnap us at Merlin's.

Fiona did this bird call and Snow jumped out from behind her tree, singing. Surprisingly, the animals all came out to listen to her. Then she started to scream, and the animals rushed to attack the tree-people. Once the trees were distracted, we all sprang from our hiding place and rushed to the gates, were Doris punched the lock off. We all rushed through and a few guards came rushing out. Cinderella took two out with her glass slipper while Sleeping Beauty made the other two trip over her body. Fiona and the other princesses bounced on the tarp over the high wall while I just merely jumped over it.

We ran across the roof and slid down one side. A few guards were standing behind a corner, and Doris knocked them out with a swift kick to the head. One of them had a bow and quiver on them. I bent down and stole both of them, quickly buckling the quiver onto my back and stringing the dark-wooded bow. As we went on, we encountered more guards, all of them we knocked out. By the time we met up with Puss and Donkey, it was already dark.

'Ok, we have everyone', Puss stated, panting slightly.

'Oh, and we met up with Artie', Donkey added, looking pointedly at me.

'A-Artie?', Fiona and I stuttered at the same time.

'Ya, and after we talked to him, he wanted to help. He went off somewhere right before we got here', Donkey continued.

'He's up to something', I stated, drawing everyone's attention.

'How do you know?', Fiona asked, looking curious.

'I just know him that well. He is my best friend, after all', I replied, the last part softer as pain ripped through my heart.

'Well, let's go, we don't have all day!', I added, glancing around at the group.

'Alright, we need to get backstage. Any ideas?', Fiona asked, looking around for suggestions.

'There's a back door over there. We can get in that way', one of the pigs suggested, pointing to a wooden door across the courtyard.

We all glanced at each-other and nodded, starting for the door. Surprisingly, it was unlocked and unguarded. We all quietly slipped through it and snuck behind some unused props.

I spotted an unguarded area by the mountain props. It was a juncture between two mountains, and was high enough to get a good aim on Charming while remaining hidden. In the background, I heard Charming singing, then hit a high note, making me cringe. When Charming paused to take a breath, I glanced around one more time then rushed towards the place.

'What are you doing?', Fiona mouthed when I got there.

I motioned for them to stay there, then reached up to pull the bow and an arrow from the quiver.

Her eyes widened when she realized what I was gonna do.

I climbed the short ladder to a secluded platform. Making my way quietly to somewhere I could get a good shot, I heard a horn blow and Shrek rose from the ground, shackles around his wrists. I hid by a tree, carefully brushing a few leaves out of my way and nocking my bow while using the leaves to camouflage my figure. I was too far away to hear Shrek, but apparently it was pretty funny, since the crowd laughed and Charming looked pissed.

'Prepare foul beast, your time is done!', Charming sang.

'Oh, could you kill me and then sing?', Shrek asked mockingly, making the crowd roar with laughter.

I had to contain my giggles, otherwise it could give me away. Charming yelled to the crowd and then turned to Shrek, saying something. He then raised his sword, and I aimed my bow at him, pulling the bowstring back. Before I could release the arrow, Dragon flew overhead with her kids and melted the sword's metal. Every one of the group busted out onto the stage, including Fiona and the princesses.

'So, Charming, you want to let me out of these so we can settle this ogre-to-man?', Shrek asked, gesturing to his shackled wrists.

'Ooh, that sounds like fun, but I have a better idea', Charming stated, then clapped his hands.

The fairy-tale villains all busted out of their hiding places and surrounded the stage, restraining the princesses and the others. I'm lucky no one knows about me being up here.

'You will not run things this time, ogre. Kill it', Charming stated, and the villains all started for Shrek.

'Everybody stop!', a very familiar voice called out, making all of us look up.

'Artie', I breathed when I saw him.

My heart fluttered as he made his way down, but also scrunched up in pain.

'Who thinks we need to settle things this way?', he asked, making all of the villains raise their hand.

'You mean you want to be villains your whole lives?', he continued, seeing all of the raised hands.

I kept my aim on Charming as he moved towards the tree-people.

'Don't just stand there, kill them!', Charming shouted, making a tree grab him so Artie can go on.

'Fair enough, I'm not a talking tree. But you know, a good friend once told me just because people treat you like a villain, or an ogre, or an outcast because of what you are, doesn't mean you are one', Artie stated, looking around at the assembled villains.

A few even came out and stated what they wanted to do. Finally, they all threw down their weapons in a truce.

Charming fought his way out of the tree's grasp and bent down to pick up a discarded sword. He rushed towards Artie with the sword raised above his head.

I quickly let the arrow loose, hitting Charming in the arm. I quickly nocked another arrow and let it fly, hitting the man between the ribs. Charming dropped his sword after the first arrow, and fell to his knees after the second one hit him, the crown rolling across the stage.

Everyone gasped and looked around for the culprit.

Well, mind as well make my appearance.

I stood up and jumped down from the platform, the bow still in my hand. The former villains all cleared a path for me to the stage. As I walked, I let the Dreyrgjarn start to take control of my actions. I stopped in front of Charming's kneeled form and drew another arrow, nocking it and drawing the bowstring back. He looked up at me with wide eyes.

'I told you before, Charming. Try to hurt Artie, I'll kill you', I stated simply, not moving to aim at Charming just yet.

'But think of it this way, I'm only getting revenge for what you did to me 11 years ago, when you raped me. A monster like you doesn't deserve to live. I'm sure you would do the same to me, if the tables were turned', I continued, finally raising the bow and aiming right between his eyes.

'See you in hell, bitch!', I growled, then released the arrow, striking him where I intended.

His head jerked back, then he fell backwards, lifeless. The crowd and the people on stage all gasped in unison. I lowered the weapon and dropped it. Taking a deep breath, I released all of my bloodlust with the exhale. I glanced around in time to see Artie walk across the stage and pick the crown up.

Shrek followed him and laid a hand on his shoulder, saying, 'It's yours if you want it, but this time it's your choice'.

He smiled at the ogre then turned to glance at me, his smile getting wider. I smiled back, but mine was more tentative than his. He walked to the edge of the stage and displayed the crown to the crowd briefly before placing it on his head. The crowd went wild, obviously over the shock of my actions.

'Artie, Artie, Artie', they chanted as a few former villains picked him up on their shoulders.

I stood off to the sidelines with a sad smile on my face; it was almost time for me to say goodbye. When they finally set him down, Artie made a bee-line towards me. My smile faded away as he got closer.

'Look, I'm sorry for what I said, back there. I didn't mean it', he apologized.

'I can understand if you don't wanna be friends anymore. I mean _I_wouldn't be friends with me if I di-', he babbled, then was cut off with my embrace.

'I was never angry with you. I was scared that you meant it', I whispered, inhaling his scent.

He sighed in relief and hugged me back. My heart just about burst with joy and relief.

When we pulled apart, he smiled and said, 'I can't wait to start as King! I mean, we could have parties every night!'

I sighed and shook my head.

'I'm leaving, Artie', I stated sadly.

'W-what? Why?', Artie asked, looking confused.

'I need to go out and see the world before I settle down. I need to see where I came from and who my parents were', I explained sadly, placing my hands on Artie's shoulders.

'You can stay here! Y-you can get a job as a maid or something! Just please don't go!', Artie begged.

My heart broke at the sight of his pleading face.

'Can you see me working as a maid, Artie?', I asked gently, then added, 'I know I can't. But, I promise you, I'll come back. You know me, I never break my promises'.

He looked a bit happier at that, but not much.

'I'll miss you', he said quietly, looking at me with sad eyes.

I embraced him again and whispered, 'I will miss you, too'.

When we parted again, I stated, 'Tell you what, I'll stay for a week, to rest and resupply'

A smile slipped onto his face as he took my hand and led me to where the princesses were waiting.

'Hello again', I greeted, smiling and blushing slightly when Artie didn't let go of my hand.

They smiled and greeted us. As Artie and the Queen talked, I tried to stifle a yawn.

The Queen noticed and said, 'Oh, you two must be tired. Come, I'll show you to your rooms'

She glanced at Artie, who then followed us into the castle and into one of the halls.

She stopped at a door and said, 'This is going to be your room, Eva. Goodnight'

Artie and I shared one more hug before I entered the room, immediately flopping on the bed. I closed my eyes and let sleep wash over me.

_

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_

_*gánga- go_

_~Meerkatgirl13_

A/N Ya, i know you guys must hate me because of Eva's decision. You know that saying, "distance only makes the heart grow fonder"? Well, since Artie is still unsure of his feelings for Eva...well, I'm not gonna spoil it for you. You'll just have to keep on reading to find out. ^_^ Ya, i know, i'm a bitch, lol.


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N Do you know what i hate the most? Writers' block. Yep, i had a pretty bad case on this chappie, but i got through it (obviously)! I'm SO sorry for the wait! Thank you kitty-kat-girlyyyxxx, angel2, Pca student, XAngelWingsx, CrazyPops D, redrosegirl3, Setsuna Noyamano, Chipette Star, fancygalx, PlatinumGal, and evil laughter from crazy-girl (for reviewing ch 10, 12, and 13)! Holy Spirits, that's a lot of people! And to kitty-kat-girlyyyxxx: I'll work on that pic that you requested...once i figure out how to draw Artie, lmao. *can't draw people, especally males, worth crap* Oh, and if anyone wants to do any fanart for this story (or any story of mine), go ahead! I absolutely adore fanart! If anyone needs refereance for Eva, there's some pics on my DA account... there's a link on my profile. Thank you all for reading this story... you all deserve pie (there's no cake because the cake is a lie!) ^_^_

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My internal alarm woke me up at the usual time.

'Fuck off, alarm', I muttered, rolling over to try to get in a more comfortable position.

The alarm just kept buzzing, not letting me get any more rest.

'Damn you', I muttered as I sat up, cringing as my muscles protested.

After a moment, I swung my feet over the edge of the bed and stood up, stretching. Wandering to the private bathroom, I did my morning routine and walked back out. I'm _so_ glad that elves don't sweat as much as humans do, otherwise I would be stinking up a storm.

Sighing, I sat myself at the wooden desk beside the window.

Suddenly struck with an idea, I dug around in the various drawers in the desk until I had two pieces of parchment, a brush set, a quill and an ink pot on the desk. I closed my eyes and brought up the image in my mind. I memorized that image before I opened my eyes and started to paint identical copies of it. The sun was a fingers-width above the horizon when I set the paintings aside to dry.

I sat back in the wooden chair and stretched my arms. Glancing down at my blue dress, I cringed at the dirt and blood that was smeared across the blue fabric. Well, mind as well change into something else and get this washed. I stood up and walked over to the closet, opening the double doors to reveal dresses all colors and designs. Letting my eyes drift over the dresses, one stood out more than the others. I pulled it out and took a look at it. It was ice blue, with lavender and dark blue accents. Shrugging, I threw it over my shoulder and walked into the bathroom, quickly changing dresses and stepping out afterwords.

A knock sounded on my door as I set my dirty dress down on my bed.

Opening the door, I saw it was Artie with a platter of fruit and another smaller platter of meat.

'I thought you might be hungry. Can I come in?', he asked, entering when I stepped aside and closed the door behind him.

'I thought you would still be sleeping, your Highness', I commented playfully, earning a playful smile.

'Don't call me that, please. You're my best friend, and you shouldn't have to call me that', he stated, sitting down on my bed and setting the fruit beside him.

'You look good in that dress, by the way', he added, making me blush slightly.

'Thanks', I stated, sitting beside the fruit and taking a strawberry from it.

We didn't talk much while we ate, we just enjoyed each-others company.

'So, where are you planning on going?', Artie asked.

I shrugged and replied, 'I dunno. Maybe I'll visit the elves' ancient homes, then maybe I'll try to find my parents' graves. After that, I might wander around a bit'

He looked thoughtful for a few minutes.

'Do you know exactly _where_ the forests are?', he finally asked.

I shook my head and said, 'I was hoping I could find a map somewhere'.

A smile crept onto his face when he said, 'I think we might have a few maps in the royal library. Come on'

I only shrugged and followed Artie out of my room and down the halls. Finally, he pushed an oak door open to reveal a huge circular room covered wall-to-wall with books and scrolls. I gasped at the sight of all of the material that was in here.

The Royal Librarian quickly strided to us and bowed, murmuring, 'Your Highness'

Artie blushed slightly at the attention.

'What can I do for you?', she asked when she straightened up.

'We need a map of the land before the Forest Elves' genocide and a current map', Artie said.

The librarian bowed again and scurried off to find the maps. Artie lead me to an empty table and sat beside me.

'You know, it's a bit weird having everyone bowing to me all the time', Artie commented with a shrug.

I giggled a bit and said, 'Well, you'll get used to it'.

The librarian came back a few minutes later with two rolled up maps in her arms.

'I have done what you asked, Sire. Please let me know if you need any assistance', she said, setting the maps on the table and bowing.

When she scurried away to her desk, we opened up the maps and looked at them.

'Well', I started, pointing to the nearest forest marked on the map, 'The Du Amaear* is near, and I read that Queen Maiaera lived there'.

I shifted to look at the modern map, continuing, 'And look, it's still there'

Glancing back and forth between the maps, I noted that there was an old path that lead to the forest from the main road.

'Even though, the path isn't on the current map. I could probably find it, though', I said, pointing out the difference.

Artie nodded from beside me.

'The forest is about 200 miles from here. You could probably get there in about a week on foot, maybe less on horse', Artie commented, examining the maps.

Nodding, I then shifted my focus to the other forests on the map. They were pretty far away, even from the Du Amaear. I think I might stick to the Du Amaear for now, then decide on the others later.

Hearing the door open, I glanced up to see the Queen striding towards us.

'There you are! Come, you need to say goodbye to your cousins', she called, causing Artie to jump.

I giggled and helped him up, following them down the hallway to the courtyard. Shrek, Fiona, Donkey, Dragon, the Dragkeys** and Puss were all waiting for us. Smiling sadly, I hugged them all in turn.

'I hope I can visit the swamp one day', I commented as I hugged Fiona.

'Oh, you're more than welcome at our home, Eva', Shrek stated, coming up beside his wife.

Smiling gratefully, I wished them all a safe journey and watched them take off on Dragon from a safe distance. When they were only a small speck in the sky, we went back inside.

'Oh, Eva, Merlin left something for you', the Queen said, gesturing to something leaning against the wall.

Curious, I picked it up and gasped when it was my sword, clean and sharpened. It was in a temporary scabbard, for safety purposes.

Smiling tenderly at the weapon, I followed Artie back to the library and sat back down at our table. The librarian walked up to us and asked if we needed anything.

'Is it possible for me to keep the current map?', I asked, gesturing to one of the maps.

She nodded and went back to her desk when we didn't have anymore questions. After about an hour in the library, Artie got called down to the Queen's office for some lessons in ruling the kingdom.

'Good luck', I said as I watched him get up from our table.

After about 15 more minutes in the library, I rolled the maps up and took them with me to my room. After I stopped and asked a servant for directions, I opened the oak door and entered, closing it after me. The maid already cleaned up the room. With a sigh, I dropped the maps onto my bed and sat down at the wooden desk, reflecting on all of the events that led us here.

Damn, I never realized that we went through so much just to get here. I mean, I had more adventure in the past few days than in my entire time at Worcestershire!

Sighing, I propped my head on my hand and gazed out the window.

Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever find happiness. Well, I'm happiest around Artie, but I wonder if someone someplace will ever have the same effect on me.

I doubt it.

Outside in the courtyard, a few people were carrying a board with something on it, covered with a white sheet. I have a firm suspicion of what is on that board.

I felt my entire body stiffen at the though of that...monster. I often wonder who would do that to a small child. What was going through his mind? I do feel guilty for the four men that I killed, but not him. I feel no guilt or remorse for Charming; I'm actually glad that I rid the world of him. Now he can't take advantage of any other little girl.

I still remember the feelings that assaulted me after the event. I remember feeling guilty, confused, lost, scared, angry, and most of all, dirty and unpure. No matter how many times I bathed and scrubbed my skin until it hurt, I felt that I wasn't clean. I can remember feeling unworthy of someone else's touch; they didn't deserve touching someone who was so _unpure_!

But, in a twisted kind of way, I should be thankful. Because of what he did, he made me into the person I am now. He was the inspiration for my weapon training in the orphanage. He was the reason I worked so hard at my studies; so that I could get out of there and avenge my innocence. That, and because of Artie. Well, I got my revenge, and now I'm going to explore my past...soon.

Honestly, I _don't_ wanna leave. One part of me, my heart, wants me to stay with Artie; but the other, my mind, is telling me to go and see what's out there. My mind won out in that internal struggle, but my heart is still putting up a good fight.

To be perfectly freaking honest...I'm scared to leave.

I know, pathetic.

But, fact is fact, I'm scared of going out on my own. I'm scared of what I might find. What if Artie finds himself a beautiful princess and forgets all about me? That's another thing I'm scared of.

Something small and wet touched my hand, startling me out of my thoughts. I was alarmed to see a tear roll down my skin and drop down onto the desk.

Roughly wiping my eyes with my sleeve, I stood up and retrieved the maps, spreading them both out in front of me. Grabbing a small brush, I dipped it into the ink and carefully drew the old path onto the current map. After letting it dry, I labeled the path with my quill and rolled up the map after that was dry. Glancing at the wall clock, I was it was almost noon.

Well, mind as well get some lunch.


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N Hey, it's me! Thank you kitty-kat-girlyyyxxx, Pca student, jimxariel4everfan19, x XRoweenaJAugustineX x, startrektnggirl33, redrosegirl3, CrazyPops D, and XAngelWingsx for reviewing! I love you guys! Warning: this chapter is full of ArtiexEva fluff! lmao I just wanted to post this chapter before school started for me...tomorrow. This is also a songfic chapter. please Read and Review, since I love them and you get any dessert you want for it! ^_^ Oh, and the updates will be slower, since i'm starting school and i won't have as much time to write as usual! Sorry about that!_

* * *

I stepped out the door and stopped a servant, requesting a bowl of salad to be brought to my room. Once the servant scurried away to fill my request, I stepped back inside my room and flopped onto my bed.

Spirits, I'm tired.

A knock sounded on my door just as I was starting to doze off.

'Come in', I said, muffled slightly by the bed.

The door opened, then closed. I felt someone sit beside my sprawled-out figure and place a bowl of salad beside me, a fork already in it.

'Sleepy?', a playful voice asked, making me grin.

'Yep', I muttered, reluctantly rolling over and sitting up to face Artie's smirking face.

'Aww, poor wittle Eva needs a nap', he mocked with a smile on his face.

'Call me "wittle Eva" one more time and you'll pay', I threatened playfully, reaching over for my salad, freezing when Artie repeated his taunt.

'Ooh, that's it!', I stated, tacking him to the floor where we wrestled playfully.

This time, Artie won by finding my sensitive area on my stomach and tickling me until I gave up.

'O-ok, o-ok, you win!', I said between gasps of laughter.

Smiling triumphantly, he stopped and sat up.

'Ha', he merely stated, helping me up from the carpeted floor.

I glared at him playfully and started on my salad.

'Do you remember when we first met?', Artie asked suddenly, leaning against my pillows.

'Ya, I believe you got kicked out of Alchemy and was sitting in the hall', I stated after swallowing a lettuce leaf.

He chuckled at the memory.

'Who would of thought that simple act would begin an awesome friendship?', he asked, closing his eyes and grinning his lopsided grin.

Smiling, I laid down beside him, just gazing at his face. Eventually, he sensed my gaze and opened his eyes.

'Is there something on my face?', he asked, startling me out of my trance.

'N-no, you look fine', I stuttered, turning away to hide my furious blush.

Only when I was sure my blush went away did I turn back around. Artie, being the oblivious boy he is, didn't notice my blush, thankfully.

'So, how long are you staying?', Artie asked, a bit of sadness in his tone.

'Not until Monday', I said, giving him a sad smile.

'But it's Thursday!', he exclaimed.

'So? It gives us four days to hang out', I countered.

'Ya, only four days', he snapped back.

'Dude, what's your problem? You're not the one who is gonna be on there own for gods know how long! You're the one who will be living in a castle, pampered hand and foot!', I snapped, then taking a deep breath.

In a calmer tone, I said, 'Look, Artie, I don't wanna leave on a bad note. Let's just enjoy the remaining time we have together instead of arguing'.

At this point, he had his back turned to me. When he didn't respond, I reached out and hugged him from behind. He sighed and let me hug him.

'I don't know what I should do when you're gone', he confessed quietly. 'I mean, we've been through practically everything together. I can't see myself going on without your support. I don't _know_ how to go on without your support!'

My arms tightened around him as I let my chin rest on his shoulder.

'You'll have the support of your aunt, your subjects, Shrek and Fiona, and mine, too. I'll just be in another place, that's all', I murmured into his ear.

There was silence for a minute or so.

'You're right, as always', he admitted with a sigh.

Satisfied, I let go and leaned back.

'Well, what do you expect! I'm _always _right', I said with a laugh.

He smiled, chuckled and shook his head.

'So, how were your lessons?', I asked, shifting so that I was laying on my belly.

'Meh, they were boring and tedious at the most', he replied with a groan.

Smirking, I patted his arm sympathetically.

'You never told me what happened between you and Shrek', I stated, laying my head on my folded arms and gazing at Artie.

He smiled down at me and told me what transpired between him and the green monster. When he finished, I reached up and wrapped my arms around his body, pulling him down onto the bed with me.

'Why the hell would your dad do something like that to a great person like you?', I whispered, gazing at Artie with sad eyes.

He shrugged and sighed.

'I really am gonna miss you', he whispered so quietly that I had to strain to hear him.

'I know. I'm gonna miss you, too', I responded, unwrapping my arms and placing them back beneath my head.

We just laid there, enjoying each-others' company until I heard Artie start to snore softly. Smiling to myself, I lifted my head and gazed at Artie's sleeping form. He's such a sweet guy, and looks so peaceful when he's sleeping. I shifted so that my head was beside his.

Leaning up, I pressed a small kiss to his forehead and laid my head back on the mattress.

The sound of his rhythmic breathing gently lulled me into sleep.

_Lillian_

Oh, where has that boy gotten to? I walked through the halls, looking for that nephew of mine. After checking his room, I headed to the other place he might be at.

I knocked on the door to Eva's room, only to get no response. Trying the doorknob, I slowly opened the door to her room.

The touching scene made me smile.

Eva had her head resting on Artie's chest while his arms were around her waist. They were both snoring softly.

After softly closing the door, I started for the library. Mind as well let them rest, they need it.

Well, I think I might have some grandnephews and grandnieces running around in the near future, along with some grandchildren.

Chuckling to myself, I pushed the wooden door open and headed for my study.

_Eva_

A small click of a door shutting woke me. Breathing deeply, I felt that my head was on something warm and was gently moving up and down. I also felt something wrapped around my waist tightly.

Wow, déjà vu.

Smirking to myself, I released the breath and waited for Artie to wake up. After about 15 minutes, I heard a change in his breathing pattern. He shifted slightly underneath me. Feeling his warm breath flutter my hair slightly, I guessed he lifted his head. As soon as he lifted his head off of the mattress, I heard his heartbeat start to race. He shifted again and breathed my name. That sent an involuntary shiver up and down my spine. He probably felt it.

'Hey, Eva, are you awake?', he breathed again.

'I've been awake for the past 15 minutes', I murmured back, not even attempting to move.

'Hmm, can you get off of me now?', he asked, making me pout slightly.

'Well, I would have 15 minutes ago if _somebody_ didn't have their arms wrapped around my waist like ivy on a building', I muttered, a hint of annoyance in my voice.

There was silence, then a muttered, 'Sorry', and the feeling of him unwrapping his arms.

Finally opening my eyes, I sat up and stretched, yawning loudly. The parts of my body that were touching Artie suddenly felt cold in the afternoon air.

'Well, that was a good nap', I commented lightly.

He hummed his answer as he got off of my bed and turned on the radio that was on the wooden desk. Music filled the air, making the atmosphere a little more homey. As soon as the song started playing, I sighed in bliss and closed my eyes.

'I adore this song', I sighed, smiling and swaying to the relaxing beat.

'Sleeping Sun?', Artie asked from the direction of the radio.

I nodded.

Hearing muffled footsteps, I opened my eyes to see Artie standing in front of me, looking a bit embarrassed.

'May I have this dance?', he asked timidly, reaching out a hand.

Smiling, I took it and allowed him to pull me up. He led me to a clear area and placed his hands on my waist while I put my hands on his shoulders. Just as we started to sway in place, the singer started to sing.

_The sun is sleeping quietly_

_Once upon a century_

_Wistful oceans calm and red_

_Ardent caresses laid to rest_

_For my dreams I hold my life_

_For wishes I behold my nights_

_A truth at the end of time_

_Losing faith makes a crime_

I got slightly bolder and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer to me. Artie had no choice but to wrap his arms around my waist and continue our dance

_I wish for this night-time to last for a life-time_

_The darkness around me - shores of a solar sea_

_Oh how I wish to go down with the sun_

_Sleeping_

_Weeping_

_With you_

_Sorrow has a human heart_

_From my God it will depart_

_I'd sail before a thousand moons_

_Never finding where to go_

_Two hundred twenty-two days of light_

_Will be desired by a knight_

_A moment for the poet's play_

_Until there's nothing left to say_

_I wish for this night-time to last for a life-time_

_The darkness around me - shores of a solar sea_

_Oh how I wish to go down with the sun_

_Sleeping_

_Weeping_

_With you_

_I wish for this night-time to last for a life-time_

_The darkness around me - shores of a solar sea_

_Oh how I wish to go down with the sun_

_Sleeping_

_Weeping_

_With you_

We stayed in that position for a few moments after the song ended before we pulled apart.

'I think I see why you like that song so much', Artie commented, his cheeks slightly pink.

Smiling, I turned the volume down a bit as a louder song came on.

'I'm glad you like it', I stated, sitting back down on the bed.

He sat down beside me and we just listened to the songs the radio station decided to play. After awhile, I felt like I was being watched. Turning my head slightly, I saw that Artie was staring at me through half-lidded eyes. He was gazing at me with the same dreamy look he used to get when he saw Guinevere. I lifted my eyebrow and tapped him on the arm, startling him out of his trance.

'Hu-what?', he asked, jumping slightly at my touch.

'Oh, nothing, just wanted to bug ya', I said, smiling to myself and swinging my legs.

He only raised an eyebrow and shook his head in defeat.

'For as long as I live, I will never be able to figure you out', he commented.

'And why would you want to do such a thing? It's funner to be a mystery', I asked in a cheerful tone.

'See, like that! One moment you were brooding, and the next you're happy and cheerful! I don't get how you can change moods so quickly', Artie exclaimed.

'Just because you have an emotional range of a teaspoon doesn't mean we all have', I retorted, smiling to indicate that I was just playing.

He only pushed me lightly.

'Hey, why don't we check the stables for a horse for you?', Artie suggested, standing up and reaching a hand out towards me.

'Sure!', I said, taking his hand and letting him pull me up, following him out the door.

* * *

_A/N Song: Sleeping Sun- Nightwish_

_You guys __have__ to listen to Sleeping Sun, it's a bloody epic song! i mean, the song is an absolutely georgous piece of music! I don't own Shrek 3 or its characters, i only own Eva, Maiaera, and any other OC that is in here! please R&R and have a great Sunday! ^_^_

_~Meerkatgirl13_


	16. Chapter 16

_A/N Yay, I'm not dead! lmao Thank you Pca student, jimxariel4everfan19, DMxxfreek, kitty-kat-girlyyyxxx, PlatinumGal, CrazyPops D, and redrosegirl3 for reviewing! Dear gods, i love you guys! ^_^ Well, this chapter is less fluffy than the last one, but fluff is still to come! I posted this right before i have to get to school, so I'm sorry for any typos and grammar errors. please Review, since reviews are my food, and i don't want to starve to death! lmao I don't own Shrek 3 or its characters, i only own Eva and any other OC that's in here!_

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We made our way down the hallway and eventually reached the front doors to the castle. Who knew the frickin' building would be so big? Anyway, we stopped and asked a guard, who pointed us in the right direction. After thanking him, we followed his directions down the cobblestone driveway and towards a smaller part of town, where all of the livestock were kept. I smelt the animals before I saw the building in the distance. It took about a half hour to get from my room to the stables.

We carefully made our way inside of the building and gaped at the amount of horses that were in there. The magnificent beasts came in practically every color you can imagine. A stable hand spotted us in the doorway and made his way towards us.

'Hi, how can I help you?', he asked once he was standing in front of us.

'Hi, we're looking for a horse, one that can go long distances without tiring itself out', I said, gazing around the stable at all of the horses.

He hummed and rubbed his chin in thought.

'I know the perfect horse for you, then. Follow me', he stated, walking off and gesturing us to follow.

We wandered through the rows of horses and stopped in front of a stall.

'Well, this young lady doesn't have a name. The owner of the stables didn't give her one when she was born, oddly enough. But, she has a lot of endurance and is fairly fast for a mare her age', the stable hand said, gesturing to the horse that was inside of the stall.

I stood on my tiptoes to see inside of the stall. Dear spirits this horse is gorgeous!

She has a dark brown, almost black, coat, her mane's a fiery red, and her eyes are ice blue.

She nickered when she saw me and came to hang her head over the stall door. I slowly reached my hand out to her and let her sniff it before placing it on her nose. She closed her eyes as I gently rubbed my hand over her strong neck.

'Hmm, strange. She doesn't normally take to others that quickly', the stable hand commented from behind me.

'Maybe because she's never encountered and elf before', I stated lightly, patting her neck and turning around.

The stable hand looked surprised then curious.

'You're an elf?', he asked in awe, looking over my facial features carefully.

I notice his eyes hadn't strayed to my body at all during this visit. It's good to know that there's more than one respectable human guy in this world. Anyway, I nodded and turned back to the horse when she nudged me. Stroking her neck, I carefully examined the mare carefully, looking for any injuries. When I didn't find any, I nodded my satisfaction.

'How much is she?', I asked, turning away from the horse.

'Um, let me get the owner', the stable hand said and walked off.

I turned my head slightly only to see Artie glaring at the stable hand as he walked out the doors on the other side.

'What's with you?', I asked, startling him out of his gaze.

'I don't like the way he was looking at you', he stated simply, crossing his arms defiantly.

I shook my head and said, 'I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself'.

'I'm aware of that! It just reminded me of the way Charming looked at you before...', he trailed off when he saw my eyes harden.

'Sorry, I forgot you're still touchy on that subject', he apologized after a few seconds.

I let myself relax when I felt the horse nudge my arm.

Smiling softly, I petted the horse's velvety snout and murmured, 'It's alright. What's in the past should stay in the past'.

Artie visibly relaxed after my statement. A few minutes later, the stable hand came back with another man.

'So I hear you want to buy this beauty?', the man asked, patting the mare's neck gently.

I nodded and asked, 'How much do you want for her?'

The man glanced at the mare and said, '*£3,300 and no lower'.

Artie stepped forward and asked, 'How much would she be if I bought her?'

The man looked taken aback.

'Well, you Majesty, she would be only £100 if _you _bought her, bu-', he started only for Artie to cut him off.

'Sold', he stated, looking the owner in the eye.

Honestly, I was surprised that Artie would buy me something so expensive.

The owner blinked and then asked, 'Would you like to ride her, Your Majesty?'

Artie shook his head then replied, 'No. I bought her for Eva. She's the one who will need her'

The owner glanced at me and then turned to the stable hand.

'Get her tack. Lady Eva is riding her today'

Hmm, _Lady_ Eva? I like the sound of that. As the stable hand scurried away, the owner opened the stall and led the mare out by the bridle. The mare moved elegantly and fluidly as she walked out of her stall. A few moments later, the stablehand came back with her saddle and other pieces of her tack. He showed me how to correctly put the tack on and how to properly mount her. After I was mounted, I gently touched my heels to her flank and she started walking. Her movements were just as fluid as I observed. Soon, I was cantering around the corral like I had ridden horses all my life. When I dismounted her, the mare was hardly tired. The stablehand also showed me how to remove her tack and cool her down before I took her back to her stall.

When she was comfortably in her stall, the owner turned to me and asked, 'So, what are you gonna name her?'

_That_ was a good question. I carefully looked her over again, taking in her most notable features. I then went over the words I knew in the Ancient Language then decided on a name.

'I like Voniata', I said after a few minutes.

The owner looked a bit confused, but wrote it down after asking me how it's spelled.

'Alright, she's yours to take whenever you want', the owner stated after he tucked the slip of paper into his pocket.

'Cool!', I said, turning to Artie and asking, 'Shall we go back up to the castle?'

He smiled and nodded, thanking the owner again and leaving out the doors with me.

'Well, that was cool', I stated once we were on the path back to the castle.

He nodded and glanced over his shoulder. Rolling my eyes, I turned back to the road that was ahead of us and concentrated on that until Artie turned back around. I swear that boy is so over-protective sometimes! Though, it _is_ one of his admirable qualities, even if it's annoying. We walked back to the castle in silence.

When we got to the front doors, Artie turned to me and said, 'I think Aunt Lillian is waiting for me to continue with my lessons. I'll come get you when its time for dinner'.

I nodded and gave him a brief hug. When he was out of my sight, I turned and wandered around the castle parameter. The back of the castle was facing the ocean with a small courtyard by the castle. A shiver of fear ran up my spine at the sight of the blue waters. Ya, that incident with the boat didn't help my fear any.

I quickly spun on my heel and walked the other way into a small forest. Taking a deep breath of the earthly air, I jumped into a tree and started making my way to the top of it. About half way up, I stopped on a thick branch and sat down, swinging my legs over the edge.

Spirits, I have a lot of time to think.

Sighing, I leaned against the cool bark and closed my eyes, visioning the day Artie and I met. The memories made me smile. Like Artie said, who knew such a small thing could begin a wonderful friendship, and possibly a relationship.

I chuckled to myself under my breath. Wow, I never knew how many mental walls I put up to isolate myself until Artie started to tear them down, one by one. That reminds me of a song I heard a while back called Halo. Don't you hate it when songs describe your life perfectly? I can name quite a few songs that do just that.

Shifting slightly, I opened my eyes and started to climb down from the tree, jumping the last 10 feet. After I was on the ground, I made my way back to the castle and up to my room.

When I pushed the wooden door open, I headed straight for the radio and turned it on. An unfamiliar song came on, so I just sat on my desk and painted a little more. The paintings I did earlier were finally dry, so I put them in the desk until I would need them. After packing up my painting stuff and washing up, I slipped out the door and headed for the library. Perhaps I could find a good book.

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_*I live in America, so i have no idea if this is a fair price for a horse. If someone could educate this dumbass on that, it is much appretiated! ^_^_

_~Meerkatgirl13_


	17. Chapter 17

_A/N whoo! another chapter done in less than a month! Thank you PlatinumGal, Pca student, and kitty-kat-girlyyyxxx for reviewing! You deserve more desserts! ^_^ Ya, if you've been reading my OC section on my profile and started thinking, "who the hell is this Kanthar guy?", this chapter reveals a bit more about him. The rest, i'm saving for another chapter. ^_^ please, please read and review, and you'll get any dessert you wish! _

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When I slipped inside I walked among rows of books, gazing carefully at each of their titles. As I neared the end of one long row, a leather-backed untitled book caught my interest. I pulled it out and gazed at the front, immediately recognizing the lettering as words in the Ancient Language.

Why would the Royal Library have a book written in the Ancient Language?

Curious, I opened the cover and read the first page. This is an epic poem written by one of the elves! It tells the tale of King Kanthar, the last king of the elves. I took the book with me to a comfy armchair and started reading it as soon as I sat down. I read the book hungrily, going through at least 30 pages before Artie came for me for dinner.

'What'cha reading?', he asked, sliding up to me and reading over my shoulder.

'A poem', I merely replied, closing the book and standing up to put the book back.

Apparently, Kanthar was married to Maiaera and lived in the *Du Amaear with her.

Afterwords, I walked to the dining hall with Artie. When the oak doors swung open, I gaped at the lavish dining hall.

The walls were a soft white with various draperies, each depicting men whom I guessed were the former kings of Far Far Away. The one closest to the head of the table showed King Harold, both as a frog and as a human.

Queen Lillian was already seated beside the head of the table.

'Ah, you finally arrived! Please, choose any seat that you want, Eva', the elderly queen greeted warmly.

I followed Artie to the head of the table and sat on his left hand side. Soon, platters of food came out of the kitchen. A few platters had meat products, and I avoided them as I reached to help myself to the vegetable plates. As soon as we got what we wanted, conversation started between Artie, the Queen and I.

The Queen asked why I was leaving and the whereabouts I was planning on going. I told her, of course, and was thankful that she understood my reasons for leaving. After the main meal was done, the servers came back with various desserts, in which I happily ate all I could without getting sick. After the servers took our empty plates away, we happily conversed until I tried to stifle a yawn.

'Well, I'm gonna wash up before I go to bed. Night', I said, pushing myself out of my seat and heading for the doors.

With a small push, I opened the doors and gently closed them after myself. By now, I've memorized the way to my room from practically anywhere in the castle.

I am _so_ thankful for the elves' ability to see in the dark as I rounded the corner to a dimly-lit hallway, the end of which is where my room is located at. Once I entered my room, I looked through the closet for a nightgown. When I found one, I carried it to the bathroom and started to run water for a bath. When the water was warm enough, I stripped down and gently lowered myself into the steaming water, sighing as the heat soothed my aching muscles. Once I was sure I was clean, I carefully stepped out of the cooling water and dried myself with a fluffy towel that was hanging on the rack. I quickly dressed in the nightgown and brushed out my dripping wet hair before I stepped out of the bathroom, placing my laundry in the basket beside the door. As soon as I finished my nightly routine, I collapsed into the soft bed and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

The next three days pretty much went the same way as the first day. Every morning I woke up, washed up, ate breakfast with Artie and Queen Lillian, went out to the stables to ride Voniata for a few hours, help out around the stables (because I have nothing else to do), go back to the castle and get cleaned up, and spend time with Artie. Normally, Artie wasn't done with his classes the Queen made him take until I got back to the castle. On the fourth day, however, I woke up at my normal time only to find a tunic and breeches laying on my dresser with a note on it. Sitting up and stretching my muscles, I ambled to the pile of neatly folded clothes and picked up the note.

_Eva,_

_I know tomorrow is when you're leaving, so I thought you might need some proper traveling clothes instead of a dress to wear. They are the finest quality I could find in your size, and I hope you will think of me on your travels._

_-Artie_

I smiled softly at the note and carefully tucked it and the pile of clothes into my already-prepared traveling bag in the corner. Artie gave that to me yesterday with a similar note. After rearranging some things to make everything fit, I changed into my old dark blue dress and did my morning routine, heading downstairs afterwords for some breakfast. I met Artie in the dining hall as he was just sitting down in front of his meal.

'Mornin' Artie', I yawned, taking my usual place on his left.

'Morning. Did you get my gift?', he asked, going a bit pink before he took his first bite.

'Yes, and thank you', I replied as the servant brought me my fruit salad and a fork to eat with.

We didn't say much as we dug into our respective meals.

Artie got up as soon as he was finished and said, 'Sorry, but I gotta go, you know, to class and stuff'.

I nodded and called to his retreating back, 'Good luck'.

The hall doors closed with a thud and I was left alone with my thoughts. As soon as I was full, I got up and exited the hall, making my usual way to the stables. When I finally reached the stables, the owner, Mr. Corin and the stablehand, Devin were already waiting for me with Voniata already saddled.

'Hello Eva', they greeted at the same time, Voniata nickering fondly at me.

'Hello Mr. Corin, Devin, Voniata', I greeted, petting my horse affectionately.

She snorted and nudged me with her nose.

'Alright, I get it', I laughed as I placed my boot in the stirrup and hoisted myself onto the saddle.

'You gonna be alright?', Devin asked, handing me her reigns.

I nodded and said, 'Ya, thanks for your concern'.

He only grinned and backed up as I touched my heels to Voniata's belly.

Devin's a kind man, helping the animals out of love for them. He was the same person who helped me with Voniata that first day; the one Artie doesn't like. Right after that first day, Devin and I became fast friends, even though Artie still holds a special place in my heart. Devin and I may be friends, but Artie will forever be my best friend and first friend. _No _one will ever change that.

Anyway, I led Voniata to the front gate and carefully trotted her out into the small forest that Mr. Corin owns.

'It's a nice day for some exercise, isn't it, Voniata?', I asked, getting a snort and a nicker in response.

She's taken to her new name quite well.

We trotted over roots and small undergrowth for over an hour before I turned my mount's nose back the way we came and made our way back to the stables. When we finally reached the small dirt road that connected the forest to the stabled, I increased the pace slightly, like I always did before slowing down to a walk as we got to the gate. Stopping in front of the stables, I dismounted her and got to work taking her tack off and cleaning the sweat that gathered on her neck off of her. When she was dry, I placed her back into her stall and stroked her neck as she ate some hay out of her manger.

I made sure she was comfortable before exiting her stall and the stable to look for Mr. Corin. I found him out in the back, exercising one of his other mares.

'Oh, you're back, Eva, good!', the elderly man called, bringing his mount over closer to me.

'Ya, but I'm gonna stay today, sir. I'm leaving tomorrow, and I'll be taking Voniata with me, sir', I replied somberly, earning a nod of understanding form the elderly man.

'I understand, young'en. What time are you planning to leave?', he asked.

His nickname for me made me smile a bit as I stated, 'Around noon'

'I think we could have her ready by then', he said with a nod. 'Where do you wanna meet us?'

Pausing for a second, I said, 'Probably at the front doors of the castle'.

He smiled and then nodded towards the gate, saying, 'Well, run along now, and tell the King I said hello'.

Smiling widely, I nodded my thanks to Mr. Corin and said, 'I will, have a nice day!'

All I heard as I started down the dirt driveway was him chuckling and muttering about us kids.

As soon as I got to the castle, I decided to stop by the kitchen for a snack before dinner. Wandering the familiar path through the halls, I opened the door to a bustling kitchen. One of the chefs took notice of me and smiled widely.

'Hey, how are you Eva?', she called, moving towards me after picking up an orange and tossing it to me.

Ya, Kelly knows exactly why I'm here.

I caught the fruit and started peeling it as I said, 'Oh, I'm doing ok'.

She leaned against the counter and said, 'So, I hear you're leaving tomorrow, huh?'

Nodding, I placed the peel into the trash and carefully tore the fruit into sections.

'And I bet _someone's_ not happy about it, like our dear King for example', she said with a knowing smirk.

I choked on the section of orange I just swallowed and I had to pound on my chest to get it to go down. Kelly started to roar with laughter as I straightened up with a red face.

'I hate you', I mumbled as I left the kitchen with my orange.

That's how our conversations normally end.

Quickly finishing my orange, I licked the sticky juice off of my fingers before opening the door to my room. I properly washed my hands in the bathroom then slumped onto the chair, turning on the radio afterwords. Glancing at the clock, I figured I still had about an hour before Artie got done with his classes. I listened to the music for a bit then got up and moved towards my full pack, taking my maps out and spreading them out onto my desk. Over the last few days I had marked the old map with some newer labels from the newer map.

Glancing over the new map, I paused as I noticed something I hadn't before. Shrek and Fiona's swamp was only about 50 miles from the southern edge of the Du Amaear. Perhaps I should make a stop there sometime. Taking out my quill and ink, I labeled the swamp and let it dry before rolling both maps up and securing them back into my pack. As soon as I put my pack into its place, my door opened and Artie came inside, closing it after himself.

'Hey, how's class?', I asked, smirking as I folded up my arms across my chest.

'Ugh, don't even _speak _to me about that cruel torture Aunt Lillian calls class', he groaned, flopping onto my bed and closing his eyes in bliss.

Chuckling at his discomfort, I sat beside him and ruffled his golden hair affectionately.

'Hey, just be glad it's over for today', I soothed, smirking when he opened a single eye to glare at me.

'I guess. Aunt Lillian said that I could have the day off tomorrow, for obvious reasons', he said a bit sadly.

Sighing, I leaned back on my hands and stared up at the ceiling.

'Please, lets not talk about this again and lets just enjoy what time we have left together', I stated after a few minutes.

'Alright', I heard after a few minutes.

Smiling in satisfaction, I asked, 'So, how was your day?'

A groan answered the question more than words could.

With a chuckle, I asked, 'I'm guessing boring and tedious, huh?'

Another groan answered that.

I laughed harder at that.

'Don't laugh at me', he stated playfully, a grin spreading across his face.

'And why not? It's fun seeing you suffer', I answered cheerfully.

He glared at me playfully, only to be ignored.

'Ya, and I'll laugh and pick on you when you suffer, just you wait'.

I smirked and crossed my legs.

'Well, I'm waiting'

A smirk formed on Artie's face, but he didn't move otherwise. After that, we just talked and joked around until dinner. Then, we got up and moved our joking to the dinner hall and sat with us at the table. When I finally bid the Queen and Artie goodnight, it was almost bedtime. I sighed as I closed the door to my room and thought about what was coming up.

'Spirits, why did you have to make this day go by so fast?', I asked into the thin air.

Not expecting an answer, I crossed my room to the bathroom and did my nightly routine before sliding under the covers. After blowing out the candle that was on my nightstand, I sighed and closed my eyes, letting myself slip into oblivion.

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_A/N next chapter is when Eva's gonna leave. Again, please review, it makes me happy and i gives you more chapters and some virtual dessert! ^_^ _

_*Du Amaear- The Swanbrook (sorry i didn't define this, i was half asleep when i posted the chapter that introduced it, and i was too lazy to fix it)_

_I don't own Shrek 3 or its characters, i only own Eva and any other OC that is in here_

_~Meerkatgirl13_


	18. Chapter 18

_A/N Well, this is the chappie where Eva leaves. Thank you Pca student, Chipette Star, QueenOfHearts, PlatinumGal, and kitty-kat-girlyyyxxx for reviewing! I love you guys! Desserts for everyone who review! So please, read and review and have a great day! ^_^_

* * *

I forced myself up when my alarm woke me up. Groaning, I rolled myself out off bed and stretched, like I did every morning.

But this isn't any day.

Today's the day I leave on my journey to find my past. I rushed through my morning routine, this time I dressed in the tunic and breeches from Artie instead of a dress. After tucking my blue dress into the pack in the place of my traveling clothes, I stood up and looked at myself in the mirror. The tunic was a forest green while the breeches were a dark brown. The tunic was oddly loose on me. Glancing around, I spotted a leather belt and quickly attached that around my waist. There, that's better, now the bottom of the tunic makes a small skirt. After looking at my reflection one last time, I sat down on my bed and watched the sky lighten.

A soft knock sounded on my wooden door before it opened and Artie came in, taking his place beside me on the bed.

'So, today's the day, huh?', he asked quietly, knowing as well as I did that it was indeed that day.

I nodded and sighed, leaning my head on his shoulder as we watched the sun paint the sky light blue, pink, orange, and yellow. Artie only sighed and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me towards him a bit. We stayed like that until the sun was a fingers-width above the horizon.

'Well, shall we get something to eat?', Artie asked jokingly as our stomachs rumbled at the same time.

I nodded and giggled, reluctantly pulling away from his warmth and standing up. We walked together to the dining hall and sat in our normal spots. Almost as soon as we sat down, the servants came out and served us our favorite foods. The discussion between my best friend and I was light and cheerful, with a hint of sadness and sorrow. After we ate until our bellies were full, we took a walk around the outside of the castle and sat underneath a tree in the small forest I found on the first day. In the cool shade, we just relaxed and carefully watched the sun rise up towards its peak. An urge of my bladder had me standing up and quickly heading towards the castle.

'Hey! Where you going?', Artie called, still sitting under the tree.

'Bathroom', was my short answer as I made my way around the corner and into the castle's nearest bathroom.

As soon as I washed up, I had an idea. Quickly walking out of the lavish bathroom, I headed towards the Royal Florist. She was located towards the back of the castle. When I pushed the heavy oak door open, I was assaulted by the earthy, yet spicy smell of plants in all different stages of their lives. A woman in her mid-40s came gliding towards me.

'Hello, what can I help you with?', she asked in a dreamy voice.

'Hello, I was wondering if you could tell me the meanings of a few of my favorite flowers and if I could buy some of them?', I asked, earning a knowing grin from the woman.

'Ah, you want to buy some flowers for your lover? Certainly, I will be happy to help young love blossom. Come with me and I'll explain everything you want to know about', she stated, making me blush as she turned to lead me down a row of beautiful plants.

'The Azalea', she stated when we reached a beautiful light pink flower with five petals per blossom. 'It means, "take care of yourself". It's a good flower to give when you or they are leaving for a time'.

She continued down the row, listing their names and what they mean.

'The Gardenia'. We stopped at a pure white flower that looked soft to the touch with the center petals curled up tightly, like a rose, but different. 'It means, "I love you in secret". You should give this to the one you fancy'.

We moved on to the second row, going down the opposite way we went down the first row.

'The Pink Heather', She murmured, fingering a stem absolutely covered in little dark pink bulb-shaped blossoms. 'This one means, "Good luck"'.

With a small smile, the woman continued down the line.

'The Purple lilac', she stopped and bent down to smell the small purple bunches of four-petaled flowers. 'This one I will never forget. "First love". M-'.

She stopped herself short and dabbed at her eyes with her sleeve.

'Are you alright?', I asked worriedly.

'Yes, thank you for your concern. It's a personal matter that's all', she assured, composing herself surprisingly fast.

I nodded and gazed around at the flowers and plants spread before me, each having their own beauty to them.

'So, young Eva, are you decided?', she asked, startling me when she called me by name.

But, then again, almost everyone in the entire castle knows about me and my accomplishments.

'Hmm, I think I'll take the azalea, gardenia, pink heather, and the purple lilac', I stated, pointing to the ones I wanted.

A soft smile lit the older woman's face as she took some shears and carefully cut a few flowers off of each plant.

'Do you want a ribbon to keep these together?', she asked when she finished with the plants.

I thought about it and then asked, 'What colors do you have?'.

She listed off almost every color of the rainbow.

'I even have a ribbon that has red, green and blue on it', she stated, moving to get it when I nodded my approval.

The woman carefully tied the ribbon around the four plants and handed them to me.

'How much do I owe you?', I asked, half-dreading the price tag on these beautiful flowers.

To my surprise, she waved her hand dismissively and said, 'Oh, this is on the house. Not only do I want you to help young love, but I know who these flowers are for. Go ahead, you'll pay me by producing beautiful children that I can give presents to'

Her mini-speech made me go as red as the pink heathers I held in my hand as I exited with a murmured, 'thank you'.

I rushed to my room and dug out one of the ink paintings I did on my first day and rushed right back out, this time heading for Artie's room. I've been to his room to hang out a few times before, so I knew the way pretty well. After I opened the grand doors to his room, I quickly scurried to his neatly-made bed and carefully set the painting down on the spotless white pillows and placed the small bundle of flowers on top of it.

I took one last long look at the painting on the bed. It shows Artie and I under our favorite tree back at Worcestershire, both of us laughing and having a good time before class started again. I have a copy of this painting, packed in my bag. Scurrying out as fast as I came in, I saw that I only had maybe two more hours before I had to leave. Running as fast as I could without tripping, I rushed back out the front doors and into Artie, who was just coming in.

'O-shi-!', was all I could say before I slammed into his body.

It's a good thing we landed on the unusually soft grass that grew along the border of the forest, otherwise I might of accidentally broken some bones on both Artie and myself.

'Ugh, _that's_ why you don't run in the castle!', Artie groaned, glaring at me from his position on his back.

I don't know if I was relieved that we were both ok, or if I was still high on adrenaline, but I busted out in mad giggles that soon spread to Artie. We rolled in the grass for a good 10 minutes before we could regain a shred of control and sat up.

'What too you so long, anyway?', Artie asked, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes.

'I had things to do', I replied, hoping he would leave it at that.

'What things?', he asked, smirking. 'Is there something you're not telling me, Eva?'

My entire body tensed up at that comment.

'No, what makes you think that?', I asked, feigning innocence and playing with a strand of my hair nervously.

'One, you're playing with your hair, something you do when you're nervous. Two, you're entire body is tensed up', he stated nonchalantly, gazing at his nails then looking into my eyes.

Damn it, he knows me too well!

Taking a deep breath, I said, 'Well, honestly, I'm hiding a few things from you, but I'm sure you're hiding things from me, so we're even'.

Now it was his turn to tense up.

Smirking triumphantly, I turned to glance at the sun, noting I only have less than an hour left. I sighed and stood up, helping Artie up as well. We wandered back to the castle for a quick lunch. The discussion was light and cheery as it could get as Artie, the Queen and I sat down to eat.

As soon as we were done, the Queen sent a servant to get my bag down from my room. We all got up and headed out to the front doors, where another servant had my bow, quiver, and sword ready. I strapped my weapons onto my figure and waited patently for my bag. For some odd reason, Artie was fidgeting nervously. It couldn't be because he had to go to the bathroom, he just went during lunch! My attention turned to the servant when he brought my bag.

'Thank you', I said sweetly, slinging the fine water-proof leather over my shoulder and glancing around at the people around me.

The Queen sighed and asked, 'Shall we move outside?'

I nodded and the small group moved outside of the castle doors where Devin and Mr. Corin was already waiting with Voniata already saddled. Sighing, I turned and hugged the Queen.

'Thank you for your hospitality', I whispered to the elderly woman.

She only smiled and gently pulled back.

I briefly hugged Devin and shook Mr. Corin's hand before turning to Artie and asked, 'Artie, will you walk with me to the gates?'

He nodded and followed me when I took Voniata's reigns from Devin and stated towards the gates. We walked in a somber silence until we were at the dreaded structures of metal.

'Well, this is it', I murmured, turning to Artie with a sad look in my eyes.

'This is it', he echoed, moving forward and wrapping me up in a powerful hug.

I felt hot tears start to run down my cheeks and I felt small droplets of moisture on my back. As we parted, I gently pecked him on his cheek and he slipped something into my hand.

I looked down and gasped at the object in my small hand. It was a necklace, but it had a silver three-pointed never-ending knot as a pendant. At the two lower points, two gemstones hung on a chain. One a deep amethyst, and the other a forest green emerald; the exact colors of our eyes.

Rendered speechless, I looked up into his eyes and enveloped him in another hug. The embrace conveyed things words couldn't even begin to describe.

'I will miss you so much, my dear friend', he whispered into my long ear as we parted.

'I will miss you, too, friend of my heart', I responded, handing him the necklace and turning around.

'Will you put it on me?', I asked at his confused expression.

He chuckled weakly and I felt cool metal sliding over my bare skin. I felt his fingers fumble with the clasp for a few seconds before his warmth faded away as he stepped back. My fingers immediately reached up to touch the cool silver pendant as I turned around.

'*Atra esterní ono thelduin, Artie-finiarel', I murmured as I pecked him on the cheek again.

'**Atra guliä un ilian tauthr ono un atra ono waíse sköliro fra rauthr, Eva svit-kona', he whispered as he took my hand and squeezed it briefly before helping me mount Voniata.

With one last long look at Artie, I touched my heels to Voniata's belly and she trotted through the gates and into town. The gray buildings soon gave way to brown and green trees as I quickly rode down the path out of town and into the forest.

Well, this is where my old life ends and a new journey begins, for both Artie and I.

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_A/N _

_*Atra esterní ono thelduin, Artie-finiarel- May good fortune rule over you, honered Artie_

_** Atra guliä un ilian tauthr ono un atra ono waíse sköliro fra rauthr, Eva svit-kona- May luck and happiness follow you and may you be shielded from misfortune, honered Eva_

_~Meerkatgirl13_


	19. AN

**Hey, it's me, Meerkat. I am SOOOOO sorry for the lack of updates, but my life is pretty hectic right now! First, my computer's harddrive broke, so i lost _everything_ i had on there, including the next chapter for this stories and most of my others. I then started working on the chapter again on my mom's computer, but then she locked me out of it for reasons unknown... Now i can't really get onto my grandma's computer since my sister is on it playing WoW all the time ... Now i have finals, and i'm writing this right after my Flash 1 final... Again, i am SO sorry for the delay, i shall try to get the next chapter up as soon as i write it. If i don't update until next year, then Merry early Christmas and have a happy New Year! ^_^**

**~Meerkatgirl13**


	20. Chapter 20

_A/N omg, i am so, so, sorry for the long update! i really hope this chapter makes it up to you thank you kitty-kat-girlyyyxxx, Pca student, T. Riley, PlatinumGal, redrosegirl3, and bananafreak97 for reviewing ch. 18! i know you guys have been waiting for this, but take all of the desserts you want lol. Thank you all for bearing with me and again, I'm so sorry for the long wait! ^_^ please read and review, and i love you all!_

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I wiped my eyes on my sleeve and sniffed, hearing Voniata nickering softly in worry.

Reaching down, I patted her neck and whispered, 'It's alright, girl, I'm just a bit emotional right now'.

She snorted, but continued on her pace. We rode in silence until I gently pulled on the reins at a familiar spot. I looked at a tree and grinned at the memories that flashed into my mind. It was the same place we landed at after Merlin transported us back. Voniata nickered quietly, turning her large head to gaze at the tree. I took a few more moments to stare at the tree then touched my heels to her belly. The mare snorted then started forward after glancing at me.

I reached down and patted her neck again, whispering, "Sorry, I wanted to relive a few moments, that's all".

The mare snorted softly in response and continued her pace. Smiling softly, I dug through the pack Artie gave me curiously. My fingers brushed against something at the bottom of the bag that felt different. Furrowing my eyebrows, I grasped hold of it and carefully pulled it out to reveal a small portable radio.

Grinning, I mentally thanked Artie and turned it on, cringing when loud static cracked out through the speakers. Quickly turning it down, I fiddled with the knob on the top to my favorite station and sighed as a song came on. I softly sang along to the songs that played until we reached the crest of a hill just as the sun was setting.

Snorting, Voniata jerked the reigns out of my hands and headed for a nearby tree, making me giggle softly. I dismounted and had to grip the saddle horn tightly as my knees gave out from under me.

Gods damn it, who knew that riding in a saddle would make you so damn sore?

Groaning softly, I righted myself and staggered to find some firewood. After clearing a space of any stray foliage, I set down a bundle of wood and surrounded it with small rocks I found under the tree, setting aside two that make sparks when I hit them together. Remembering my basic lessons about starting a fire, I gathered some dry, dead grass and set it around the wood, picking up my rocks and showering the pile with sparks until some of the grass caught fire. Slowly, the flames built up until they were crackling merrily in the pit, giving off heat and light.

I loosely tied Voniata to the tree so she could graze, and dug my sleeping bag, a water-skin and some bread out of my pack. I munched on the bread as I rolled out the bag near the fire, but not so close so that I won't get burned in the middle of the night.

After sitting down on the softer bag, I finished the section of bread I had and twisted to look behind me. I can still see Far Far Away, the city still dotted with lights. A bit farther back was the tall shadow of the castle, the windows turned red with the setting sun.

Oh, gods I miss Artie. We used to love sitting on my windowsill back at Worcestershire and watching the sun set each night.

Sighing softly, I turned and faced the red sky and watched as the sky slowly turned midnight blue. The stars slowly started appearing as the last rays of the sun disappeared under the horizon, each one popping into existence.

Noticing the heat decrease slightly, I got up and collected more firewood, gently throwing a few pieces into the flames where they ate it up.

I reached over and grabbed my radio, examining it with more detail than I had before. It was plastic, but the speakers were really good. The entire thing was black, and was about the size of my forearm. Running my fingers along the top, I noticed two looser panels with slight grooves at the edge. Slipping one of my nails under one of these grooves, I pried the plastic open to reveal two small solar panels. I never knew that the town even sold them!

After identifying the other side as the same thing, I closed the flaps and set the radio back in my bag, closing it tightly and placing it near me. I yawned, then took my sword and bow off of my back, placing the wooden weapon inside of the quiver and closing it, to prevent the wood from rotting in the morning dew. My sword, however, I placed close to me, within reach if I ever get attacked during the night. Slipping inside of my soft bag, I watched the soft yellow flames dancing before I closed my eyes and slipped into sleep.

The sound of birds chirping stirred me out of deep sleep before my internal alarm did the rest, making me groan and sit up slowly. It was still dark, with a few rays of sunlight peeking over the horizon. The fire had gone out during the night and smoldering remains were what was left of it.

I slipped out of my bag and kicked some dirt over the remains, ensuring that it was completely out before retreating to a bush and doing my business. Afterwords, I washed my hands in a small stream I found a ways away then returned to camp to eat a bit before I saddled up Voniata. I was still extremely sore from yesterday's ride, but I tried to ignore my protesting muscles and cleaned camp up, packing my bag and mounting Voniata.

After making sure I didn't leave anything behind, I gently touched my heels to the mare's belly and she trotted off down the path. The rest of the day was relatively boring, me only making a few stops to eat or to go to the bathroom. I made camp when the sun set by a grove of ash trees a little bit off of the road. Before I went to sleep, I pulled out my map and examined my position in the firelight. Hmm, I'm almost to a village about a quarter of the ways to the forest. It was labeled as Coran, which make me snigger a bit. I put it away and let sleep wash over me.

The next few days went pretty much the same way. Get up, do my morning habits, clean up camp, eat, saddle Voniata, and ride until sunset, stopping to eat along the way or just eating in the saddle. I often did write in my journal all of the things I experienced each day before I went to sleep. That was until we got to Coran, which was a little more than a few farms relatively close together with a shop, an inn, and a post office in the middle.

I restocked my supplies, bought a back cloak to hide my features in the shop and wrote a letter to Artie, telling him where I was around and that I was doing fine. I sent it from the post office and continued on my way, a little faster to get a bit farther. By the end of the fifth day, I was almost to Louarn, the town where the path branches off at to go into the forest.

I was mentally cheering when I saw the lights of the town flickering in the distance when I got to the top of a hill just as the sun was setting. Well, I guess sleeping in a real bed will have to wait until tomorrow. I quickly made camp and ate a bit of the berries I bought in Coran while Voniata grazed. Smiling, I gazed at the stars from underneath my sleeping bag as the campfire crackled merrily.

My smile dimmed a bit as I thought of Artie. I wonder how he was doing. I did hear when I was in Coran that one of his first royal decrees was to ban all remaining elf hunting, in which I was happy for.

Reaching up, I touched the necklace he gave me, a habit I've fallen into ever since he gave it to me. Dear gods, how I missed him. With a sigh, I turned onto my side and fell asleep.

When I woke the next morning, I did my morning routine like normal, but I cleaned up camp quicker than I normally do, munching on a few berries and some water before swinging myself into the saddle and eagerly riding down the hill to Louarn. Voniata sensed my excitement and increased her pace, bringing us to the town by midday.

Surprisingly, there were a pair of guards at the entrance, who stopped us and asked, "What is your business here?"

I faltered for a second then stated, "I'm traveling to the Du Amaear, and I'm just here to rest and restock my supplies"

The guard laughed and said, "No-one's been to that forest in a long time, miss. That forest is filled with dangerous creatures and the spirits of the elves that used to live there. I suggest you change your destination to a friendlier place more suited for...well... for girls like you."

Narrowing my eyes as I caught on to what he was trying to imply, I growled, "I can take care of myself, I assure you. I just want to rest and I'll be on my way"

The guard shrugged and gestured for me to go ahead, in which I did quickly to avoid any bloodshed on my part.

"I fucking hate guys like him!", I growled under my breath as I guided Voniata to what looked like the inn.

I was right, seeing a few horses tethered on a wooden bar outside of the entrance. Dismounting Voniata, I tied her to the bar beside a silver horse and went inside.

The room had a warm feel to it, with a few people sitting at the bar on the far side of the room. A young woman who looked a bit older than me bounced up to me and asked what I needed.

"Hi, I need to rent a room for the night", I said making the woman nod and point towards the bar.

"The innkeeper is tending the bar right now. She'll give you a room", the brunette said then wandered off.

I stared after her for a moment then headed to the bar, slipping in between two empty stools.

"What would it be?", a woman with a hood over her head asked, reaching behind her for a glass.

"Oh, I don't want a drink, I just need a room for the night.", I stated quickly, making her pause then put the glass back.

"Well, ok then, come with me", she stated brightly, wiping her hands off with a towel and leading me to another desk near the entrance.

"So, one room for a night. Do you have a horse?", she asked, looking up to see my nod.

She quickly did the math and the announced, "Ok, that'll be 15 silver for the room, laundry, a bath, and for looking after your horse".

I dug around in my bag until I found the sack of money, quickly counting out 15 silver pieces ad handing them to her.

"Thank you, and your name would be?", she asked, placing the coins in a pouch she pulled from under the counter and looking at me curiously.

"I'm Eva. My horse is the mare with the red mane named Voniata. And you are?", I stated quickly, taking the key she offered after I stated my name.

She smiled and replied, "I'm Rao Odiheme. It's a pleasure to meet you, Eva".

I nodded my head in response and asked, "Why do you wear your hood all the time?"

She smiled and looked at my hood, replying, "I would ask you the same thing".

Chuckling, I turned and went up the stairs, unlocking the room number that was on the key and stepped inside.

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_A/N Well, i hoped you enjoyed this chappie. I'm sorry it seems so rushed, i wanted to get this chapter up before i have to go to bed. Well, now Eva meets Rao, and now your probably wondering what Rao is hiding, right? lol Well, you won't get to know until the next chapter, which WILL be posted sooner that this one. I don't own Shrek 3 or its characters, i only own Eva and the plot after Shrek 3. I don't own Rao Odiheme, either, she belongs to my friend, Rao Odiheme ^_^. please review, since that makes me happy. A happy writer makes for faster updates ^_^ _


	21. Chapter 21

_A/N OMG I am SO sorry for the wait. I had this chapter typed out in my documents, I just forgot to edit it! I also have an actual excuse for my slacker-ness this time! I have finals tomorrow and all next week, so I've been studying my ass off so that i can pass this year! Thank you Plat for making me remember about this story and for kicking my slacker ass in gear #^-^#. Also, thank you Beanatrix LeString, kitty-kat-girlyyyxxx, Pca Student, bananafreak97, PlatinumGal (of course), xXxCastielxXx, and Bella for reviewing last chapter! I love you guys ^_^ Oh! can anyone guess where I got the idea for Eva and some of her personality from? (Hint: It's by the same band that did the same song that i put the lyrics in here from) ^_^ Anyway, please read and review, and I promise to get a chapter posted when my finals (and school!) is over ^_^_

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The room was a soft blue, with a darker blue bedspread on the single bed. I sat down on the bed and sighed. Holy crap, the bed was so _soft_! I then noticed that there was a door across from the bed.

Standing up, I walked over and investigated it, happily finding that it was a proper bathroom with a tub for bathing.

I stepped inside and closed the door behind me, setting my bag down on the floor, locking the door and began running the water for a bath. When it was warm enough, I stripped down and sank into the steaming water, groaning as the water soothed my aching muscles. After a minute or two, I washed my hair and body, a bit disgusted at how much dirt came off of me.

After I was clean, I got out and let the filthy water go down the drain, filling it with more warm water afterwords. I got back into the tub and relaxed until the water cooled again, letting the water drain out again and getting dressed in my old dress.

Squeezing the water out of my hair, I spotted a towel and dried my hair that way, brushing it out then stepping out of the bathroom, feeling like myself again. I picked my cloak back up and put it on as I gathered my laundry and went back out my door. As I wandered back down the hall, I saw Rao by her desk, working on some papers.

"Hey, Rao. Where can I put my laundry?", I asked, making the hooded woman look up and point to a corner.

Nodding, I turned to put my clothes in the corner she indicated, but saw Rao brush a piece of mint green hair behind one of her hooded ears from the corner of my eye.

Wait, mint green?

I did a double-take and found Rao watching me with a guarded expression. Flashing her a friendly smile, I quickly dropped my clothes in the corner and walked back to my room, carefully closing the door behind me. I carefully sat on the bed, mindlessly playing with a strand of my still damp hair. I have never seen a human with green hair.

Wait, is Rao even _human, _or is she something else?

A soft knock sounded at my door, bringing me back to the present. I got up and opened the door, seeing Rao standing on the other side.

"Hello, Rao. Can I help you with something?", I asked, shifting my weight towards where my sword was lying, just in case I needed to defend myself.

The woman nodded and asked, "May I come in?".

I hesitated for a moment, then stepped aside to let her in. She slowly came inside, seating herself on one of my chairs. Placing myself on my bed, I positioned myself beside my sword and gazed at her expectantly.

Rao took a deep breath through her nose, as if she's trying to smell something in the air and stated bluntly, "You're not human, are you?"

Startled, I immediately placed a hand on the hilt of my sword and asked, "What made you come up to that conclusion?"

A small smile crossed her lips as she said, "Your sent is very different than the normal, smelly humans that come through here. At first, you smelled like dirt, horses and leather, but now that you bathed, you smell like the Du Amaear. Also, you have an unusual eye color, one that is never seen with humans."

"How do you know what the Du Amaear smells like? And how is your sense of smell so sensitive?", I demanded, tightening my grip on my sword.

She put her hands up and replied calmly, "I've tried to find the ancient homes of the elves in there. I've spent several weeks in that forest, so I know what it smells like. And to answer your second question, I think you've noticed that I seem..._different_, like the color of my hair. I know you saw me brush back my hair in the main room. Let's just say I'm not human, but I'm not an elf."

Narrowing my eyes, I looked the woman over again, noticing small details I haven't noticed before. Under her hood were small bulges on the top of her head. Also, I noticed she doesn't sit completely back on the chair, rather on the edge, as if she needs room for something else.

After a few moments, I met her light green eyes again and asked, "What are you?"

She hesitated for a moment then stated, "Promise me that you won't tell anyone. These people are very superstitious, and if word gets out that I'm not human, I'll be killed!"

After a moment, I nodded and said, "You have my word. I know what that's like, also"

Rao nodded and stood up, closing the curtains then carefully sliding her dark cloak off. My eyes widened when I saw the things she was hiding with the cloak.

Her hair was indeed mint green, and was bound up in a tight bun with a few strands of hair falling loose of it. At the very top of her head were a set of blue striped ears that looked like they belonged to a fox.

Wait, if she has fox-like ears, then does she have a...?

My eyes jumped to her backside and confirmed my suspicions. Twitching nervously against her legs was a fox-like tail that was the same color as her ears.

I met her gaze again and repeated, "What are you?" She sighed and sat back down on the chair.

"I don't know what I am. Apparently I was born this way. I have no idea what happened to my father, but my mother raised me in this town, hiding what we were very successfully until she died. I buried her out by the forest, her favorite place. She was the original owner of this inn, so I inherited it when she passed. I heard stories of people like me way down south, in a far away kingdom from passing travelers. Once I earn enough from this miserable place, I'm planning to sell it and go down and see if the stories are true.", she stated quietly, then her tone getting stronger until it had a defiant tone to it.

I was quiet for a bit, trying to take all of this in.

Finally, I looked up and asked, "Why are you telling me all this? I'm pretty sure this is not something you go around telling everyone."

Rao sighed again and said, "Because, like you said, you know how it feels to have to hide what you are. I have a feeling you've had a lot more experience with humans finding out what you are and not being entirely accepting."

Nodding, I loosened my grip on my sword and said, "Yes, you're right. But, I've also found a few humans, also two ogres, a donkey, a dragon and a cat that are accepting of people's differences."

I smiled at the memories of Shrek, Donkey, Puss, the princesses, and Artie that came up when I said that. Mostly memories of Artie, which also made my heart tighten with pain. A soft chuckle brought me back to the present.

"It seems like you have fond memories of those people", Rao chuckled, her tail flicking with amusement.

Blushing faintly, I smiled and murmured, "Yes I do"

Rao calmed down after a few seconds and stated, "Well, you never said what you are. It's only fair, I showed you what I am!"

My grip tightened unconsciously as I hesitated, then pushed back my hood. Her eyes widened when they saw my pointed ears.

"You're an elf", she whispered, gazing at me with shocked eyes.

I nodded, then adding, "You're looking at the last of the elves"

Rao looked sympathetic as she stood up and patted me on my shoulder. "You don't know that. There might just be another one that survived the genocide. If it's a guy, you two can carry on your race!"

That comment flared my temper up.

"I am _not_ an animal to be bred! I'm a person that can love!", I snarled, standing with my sword in hand.

Rao quickly saw her mistake and backed off immediately.

"I-I wasn't trying to imply that you couldn't love.", she stated quickly, taking a few steps back, her ears flattening against her head.

Huffing, I slowly sat back down, watching Rao cautiously take her seat. Sighing, I slowly let go of my anger before it turned into bloodlust. When I opened my eyes again, I found Rao looking at me cautiously.

"I'm sorry, my race is still a touchy subject with me", I said, relaxing a bit when Rao nodded in understanding.

"I can only imagine...", she trailed off, then her ears perked up.

She suddenly stood abruptly, quickly putting on her cloak again.

"I gotta go, I heard someone come in.", she explained, quickly exiting the room.

I listened for a moment, hearing Rao's cheery voice and two gruffer voices in the main room. Sighing, I dug my brush out of the bathroom and brushed my still damp hair again, more out of habit than necessity.

Wow, Rao isn't a human, nor is she an elf. That makes this trip all the stranger.

Soon I heard Rao's footsteps and two more sets of heavier footsteps walk down the hall, stopping a few doors down from my room. Rao must have shown the two new arrivals to their rooms.

Suddenly, I felt a slight shiver run up and down my spine. Something's not right about those two new arrivals. I don't know what, but something's not right. Shakily brushing off the feeling, I lied down on the bed and dozed off.

I woke sometime later, when the sky outside the curtain was starting to turn crimson. Yawning, I sat up and stretched, feeling rested and somewhat satisfied. A knocking sounded at my door, making me jump and quickly pull my hood up over my head.

"Who is it?", I asked, standing and moving cautiously towards the door with my sword in hand.

"It's me, Rao. Dinner's almost ready, if you want to eat. And don't worry, I didn't prepare that many meat dishes.", Rao called through the door, making me smile and open it.

"Do you need me to help with the food?", I asked, strapping my sword to my belt in preparation to leave my room.

From outside the door, I heard a multitude of voices laughing and talking and the occasional clanking of glass on glass.

"Yes, that would be appreciated", the fox-girl said with a smile, leading me to the kitchens after I locked my door.

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_A/N Well, now you know what Rao is! ^_^ hehe, how many of you saw that coming? lol Anyway, please leave a review on what your thoughts are on this chapter! Oh! I've been working on another fic (yes, another one). It's gonna be a Lord of the Rings/ World of Warcraft crossover (yes, i do play WoW. sue me). I'm not entirely sure if i should post it on here or what. if you're intrested, please let me know and I'll sent what i have to you. I really would like some feedback on it. ^_^_

_~Meerkatgirl13_


	22. Chapter 22

_A/N Hey, I'm back with another chapter! As a warning, this chapter is a bit violent, but I avoided anything really gruesome. Thank you xXxCastielxXx, Pca student, kitty-kat-girlyyyxxx, and PlatinumGal for reviewing last chapter! Omg, I never even imagined that this story reached over 100 reviews! I freaking love you guys! Thank you kitty-kat-girlyyyxxx and PlatinumGal for being the 100th and 101st reviewers! As a treat, this chapter is dedicated to the both of you and maybe a drawing on Deviantart! Just tell me what you want it to be! Oh, and Plat, Rao isn't a shout out to Fao, she's my friend's OC and that's how she pictures her to be. ^_^ Please read and review this and I shall have the next one up soon, hopefully before summer school starts..._

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There were many people stuffed into the main room, all talking and drinking. Many of them were men, with a few bar maids weaving between the many bodies delivering drinks.

Tugging my hood a bit lower over my face, I followed Rao through a wooden door and came upon a room filled with silver pots and pans. There was an oven with a roaring fire lit underneath it on the far wall of the room. From it there was the smell of baking bread, in which Rao immediately took out and set it out to cool. She set cooled slices of bread on plates with various foods already upon it.

She handed a bunch to me and ordered, "Take these out there and set them on the bar tables. Whoever wants food will take them."

With a nod, I carefully made my way out of the kitchen and quickly found the bar. After setting the plates out, I had to carefully weave my way back to the kitchen, since most of the crowd swarmed around the bar. Rao sent me out again with more plates when I returned, this time with a few bar maids helping me. After about three trips, I was allowed my meal. Mine looked almost the same as the others I put out on the bar, but it had no meat on it.

"Thank you", I murmured to Rao and sat on the far corner of the room with my back to the wall.

I carefully watched the comings and goings of the humans in front of me, making sure no-one recognized me for what I am. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a man point in my direction and whispered something to his companion. His companion nodded to something and they both made their way towards me.

"Hey pretty lady", the one on the left greeted, both of them placing themselves in front of my table.

"Can I help you? If not, then please leave me in peace", I stated bluntly, watching the two men jolt slightly, as if my words had taken them by surprise.

"We just wanted to know if we can buy you a drink and get to know each-other", the man on the right stated, leaning on my table suggestively, waggling his brown eyebrows for added effect.

"Not interested. Now leave me in peace.", I stated firmly, letting a steely edge flow into my tone.

By the look of hidden rage on both of their faces I guessed their not used to a woman talking to them that way.

Taking my empty plate in hand, I stood up and cautiously walked past them, watching them out of the corner of my eye. One of them started for me, but his companion grabbed his shoulder and shook his head slightly.

Ok, now that kinda worries me.

Quickly making my way to the kitchen, I placed my plate in the sink and went back out, helping Rao collect plates. After we got most of the plates, Rao, a barmaid, and I started washing the dishes; Rao washing, me rinsing, and the barmaid drying and putting away.

"Thank you so much for helping me today, Eva", Rao said as she dried her hands on a towel after we were done and passed it to me.

"You're welcome", I replied with a smile, also drying my pruned hands, then setting it in the laundry bin.

When we looked out of the kitchen, we saw that almost everyone had went home for the night, to either carry on partying or to sleep off the booze they consumed. Only the two men who tried to woo me and a few others remained, mostly talking and laughing among themselves. Glancing around the room, I noticed the two men were hunched over their table, like they were talking about something secret and didn't want to be overheard. Lifting an eyebrow in suspicion, I shrugged it off and went back down the hall to my room, firmly shutting the wooden door behind me.

I picked up the brush again and started to work the multiple snags out of my hair, occasionally grimacing at a particularity painful knot. As I worked the knots out of my hair, I heard soft footsteps walk down the hall then stop outside of my room. After a few moments, they walked past my room and down the hall a bit more until the sound of a door opening and closing reached my ears. I paused when another pair of footsteps came down the hall and did the same exact thing as the first set, except that they paused longer before going down the hallway.

Ok, should I be worried?

Quietly putting my brush back into my pack, I put my hood back on and exited my room, locking it behind me again. I found Rao in the kitchen with a wooden tub of soapy water and another one with steaming clean water.

"Oh, hello Eva", the fox-woman greeted, her light green eyes flickering up at me before returning to her task.

"Hey, Rao, you need help with the laundry?", I asked, causing the hooded woman to shake her head.

"No, I'm almost done here anyway. All I need to do is hang them up overnight and they'll be done."

I nodded and glanced around, noticing the overfull trash cans around the inn.

"I shall take out the trash, then.", I stated and started picking up stray pieces of trash before Rao could protest.

I went around to the various cans placed around the inn and took out their plastic linings then tying the ends together to make a handle. After I emptied most of them, I took as many bags I could carry and walked out the back door, throwing them into the dumpster a few yards away from the back of the inn.

When I went back inside for the rest of the bags, I noticed that the two men were just walking out the front door with a torch in one of their hands. Shrugging, I picked up the rest of the bags and went out the same way. As I walked across the dark alley to go dump the rest of the bags, I noticed that the man with the torch was standing at the mouth of the alley without his companion.

Warning bells went off in my head as I quickly shuffled to the dumpster and threw the bags in, turning to go back into the safety of the inn. Suddenly I was roughly pushed back against the metal as I found a pair of lips on mine. Yelping in surprise, I pushed the offending person away from me only to see that it was the bolder of the two men who tried to woo me.

"What's the matter, pretty lady, are you scared?", he asked, pushing up against me again.

Suddenly I wasn't in the alley anymore; instead I was a helpless five year old pinned against the white-washed wall of the cottage by a horny 17 year old. The feeling of a hand lifting up my skirts brought me back to the present. Snapping out of my trance, I pushed him as hard as I could and drew my sword, my anger transforming into bloodlust before I could control it.

As the man stumbled back, I rushed forward and pinned him against the inn wall with the blade of my sword at his throat.

"You better think twice before you try and take advantage of a woman", I growled lowly into his ear.

Before I could control my bloodlust and push away, my lust forced my blade across his throat. Jerking back, I watched in horror as the man slid down the wall clutching his throat and making gagging sounds.

Shit, I did _not_ want to do that!

Looking around wildly, I saw the torch guy was rushing towards me. I pivoted on my heel to run back into the inn, making my hood slide down, but the torch man reached out and grabbed my arm, spinning my back around to face him.

He took one glance at my long ears and ran back down the alley, yelling, "Elf-Witch! She killed him! Burn her!"

I shoved myself away from the filthy wall and rushed inside, slamming the door and running through the inn as fast as I could. Bursting into my room, I quickly started to gather my things, including my still-damp tunic and leggings, and stuffed them into the leather pack. Suddenly, Rao busted through the door with a frightened look on her face.

"Eva! What's going on? There's a guy screaming about an elf-witch that killed his friend outside and he's causing a freaking riot!", she exclaimed, causing me to pack even faster.

"Well, the guy that's dead tried to rape me in the alley", I growled, shouldering my pack and glancing out my window.

Outside was a small mob with pitchforks and torches making its way towards the inn. In the front was the torch man from earlier, still screaming about something that I couldn't hear.

"Shit!", I growled, grabbing my slightly bloody sword and sheathing it, rushing towards the front door.

"Don't go that way! This way!", Rao screamed from behind me, rushing towards another door by a stairway.

I followed her through it and into an alley then followed her as she ran up one end and into the stables.

"Thank you so much, Rao. How can I ever repay you?", I asked, hugging my new-found friend tightly.

She pulled away after a moment and stated, "By letting me lead you to the forest."

I looked at her wide-eyed then nodded, grabbing my tack for Voniata and quickly strapping it on her.

"Hey girl, we need to go!", I murmured to Voniata, who snorted and shifted her weight slightly.

Nodding, I swung myself on her back to see Rao already on a silver horse, probably the same one I saw earlier. She smiled grimly at me then gestured towards the open stable doors, nudging her horse into a fast trot. I followed her and we snuck out of town through a back road through golden fields.

When we got out of the boundaries of the town, we stopped and looked back. A startled cry flew from Rao's lips when we saw what the mob did to the inn. A huge tower of flames rose up from where the inn used to be, the black smoke almost obscuring the bright moon that shone down upon us. Glancing at my friend, I saw that there was a look of horror mixed with determination.

"Are you alright, Rao?", I asked quietly, feeling guilty that I caused this.

The fox-woman nodded slowly and shook her head.

"We gotta go if we want to make good time", she said, turning her horse's head towards the road and started along it.

With a final glance at the burning inn, I touched my heels to Voniata's belly and settled into a trot behind Rao.

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_A/N I don't own Shrek 3 or its characters. I only own Eva and the plot after Shrek 3. Rao belongs to my good friend, Rao Odiheme, not me. ^_^ Please review, and enjoy the platter of desserts i have for you guys! *gestures to an entire table full of desserts* _

_~Meerkatgirl13_


	23. Chapter 23

_A/N Hey! I'm back! I thought that I should post this chapter as soon as i was done with it, so here it is! Thank you xXxCastielxXx, kitty-kat-girlyyyxxx, and PlatinumGal for reviweing last chapter! you guys are awesome! ^^ Oh, I want your opinion on this: Should I post a mini fic that has little snippetts of Eva's life before, during, and after this fic? I have a short story that i had to write for my summer school class and I wrote it about an event in Eva's erly life. please send me a PM if you're intrested. ^^ Anyway, please read and review, I've worked pretty hard on this chapter lol._

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We rode in silence until the moon was halfway across the inky sky.

"Hey, Rao, I think we should stop for the night. I think we're safe here", I called ahead, making the fox-woman tug on her horse's reins.

She glanced around and nodded, dismounting her horse and landing in the soft wheat that covered the earth. It was my turn to slide down from Voniata's back, untying my pack after I landed and placing it on the ground.

"Do you have a sleeping mat?", I asked the older woman, who shook her head.

"No, I plan to just sleep on the wheat", she replied, patting her horse's neck fondly then sitting down on the wheat.

Her dark blue tail twitched under her dark cloak as she leaned back to gaze at the moon. I pulled out my bedroll and spread it out over the golden wheat, sitting on it afterwards.

Turning my gaze towards the pillar of smoke still rising in the distance, I sighed and stated, "Rao, I am so sorry for causing all of this. I never intended for all of this to happen".

Hearing rustling, I turned my head to see Rao lying on her side facing me.

"I know you didn't intend for this; no-one ever anticipates misfortune on the road. It's alright, I have most of my funds in the bank, it's not a big loss.", she replied softly, giving me a forgiving smile.

Smiling back, I lay back against my mat and gazed at the stars. The sound of Rao breathing helped me relax enough to fall asleep. I wasn't asleep for long. A large warm snout nudged me out of a light sleep.

"Wha- 'Ata, what is it?", I mumbled sleepily, sitting up sharply when the sound of baying hounds reached my ears.

Glancing up at the sky, I saw that the sky in the east was starting to lighten. Haring quiet rustling, I saw Rao already on her feet and quickly covering her fox-like features. It was clear by the expression on her face that this was the first time she has been tracked by humans with the intent to kill her. I, on the other hand, have been chased by hounds since right after I accidentally killed those two men before Worcestershire. Jumping up, I quickly rolled and stuffed my bed roll back into my pack and swung up on Voniata.

"Come on, we ride quick and hard", I said as the baying steadily got louder.

Rao nodded and patted her horse apologetically before swinging up onto his back.

"Which way is the forest?" I asked as I guided Voniata towards Rao, stopping right beside her.

"We're going in the opposite direction then the forest, so we're gonna have to back-track and then find the path on the southern side of town.", she said, pointing back towards the town and the line of black barely visible beyond that.

Growling under my breath, I touched my heels to my mount's belly and stated, "Well, we have to somehow lose the hounds. Let's ride".

Rao nodded and we started on a fast pace towards the town, the dogs following us all the while. As we crested a hill near the town, we saw that the inn was nothing more than a pile of smoking rubble on the side nearest us. Ignoring it, we slowed down as we neared the town, deciding to ride around the boundaries instead of through it.

The first rays of dawn shown out from the horizon as soon as we got to the eastern side of the town, possibly blinding the guards that might have been keeping watch. We didn't stick around to find out. As soon as the sun hit us, we kicked our mounts into a gallop to keep ahead of the hunters and their dogs.

The sun was halfway above the horizon when we got to the northern end of town and found a dirt path leading to the forest. We started following it at a fast trot, the howling of dogs starting to get fainter as the miles passed.

"I think we lost them", Rao said as we stopped at a nearby stream to let the horses drink and rest.

I listened for a few moments then shook my head.

"No, they're just taking a small rest, then they'll continue. I don't think that they'll let someone who killed one of their own gets away that easily"

Rao nodded in understanding then concentrated of her tired and thirsty horse.

Tending to Voniata, I gazed at the beautiful silver horse Rao rode and asked, "What do you call your horse?"

Glancing at me then back to the horse, Rao smiled and said, "His name is Arod. I've had him since I was old enough to ride."

Smiling softly at the affection Rao showed, I turned my attentions back to Voniata when she impatiently bumped her head against my arm. I reached up and rubbed her nose then threaded my fingers in her fiery red mane. As soon as the horses looked a bit more rested, we swung back up on our mounts and continued down the path at a swift trot. The sounds of the dogs faded as the dark smudges that was the forest got bigger.

That kinda worries me, how the townspeople just seemed to give up; it makes me wonder if they have something else planned for me.

Glancing back worriedly, I made Voniata trot slightly faster, riding alongside Rao and Arod. The fox-woman glanced at me then concentrated on the road ahead. Slowly but surely the forest got closer and closer as the hours went by, making my anxiousness grow with each passing minute. Voniata sensed my emotions and started going faster, passing in front of Arod by about a neck. By the time the sun was halfway across the sky we could see the Du Amaear's treetops instead of it being one dark smudge on the horizon.

Rao glanced at me and Voniata, who was prancing and tossing her head, then said, "I think we should stop for a break and eat."

We both had our mounts stop and we dismounted them, leading them a small ways off of the path. I dug in one of the saddle bags and took a piece of bread out and started munching on it, surveying our surroundings while I was chewing.

A large splash of yellow caught my attention.

Curious, I climbed over a small hill and gaped at what I saw. Starting about 40 feet in front on the hill and ending just in front of the forest was a huge field filled with nothing but bright yellow sunflowers. Each one swayed in the slight breeze, creating a huge rippling effect. Turning my head slightly I followed the path with my eyes and was delighted to find that the path went through a small portion of the bright field and disappearing into the shadow of the trees. I sat down on the crest of the hill and ate the rest of my bread while watching the field.

"Eva! Are you ready to go yet?" Rao called up from the bottom of the hill, startling me out of my trance.

"Yes, I suppose I am," I called back, standing up and carefully making me way down the hill.

She was waiting for me on Arod by the time I got to the bottom.

As I swung up on Voniata, I said, "There's a huge sunflower field up ahead."

She nodded and turned Arod down the road and set off at a trot, her blue tail thumping against her saddle. Stifling a giggle, I followed them, my anxiousness returning as we set down the path. To my delight, we got to the sun flower field after a few hours of riding. I stopped Voniata and marveled at the sight, the flower petals' color hurting my eyes slightly.

"Hurry up! I would like to at least get out of this field by sundown!" Rao called from up ahead, her tail flicking impatiently.

Rolling my eyes, I nudged Voniata into a fast trot to catch up with Rao.

"What's your problem Rao? You seem antsy," I observed after watching her tail flick back and forth as we got nearer to the forest.

She glanced at me then said, "There's tales that there are trees that can pick up their roots and move on their own. But I know that they are not creatures of legend; they exist! I almost got stepped on one when I was last out here."

Those tree-people came to mind after she said that.

As we rode, I let my mind wander back to the castle and to Artie. I wonder how he's coping with being king and my departure. Unconsciously, one of my hands let go of the reins and gently touched my necklace, tracing the warm silver.

"Who gave you that?" Rao suddenly asked, making me jump.

She was looking at my necklace with interest and curiosity.

"Oh, my best friend gave this to me before I left for the forest. He wanted me to have a part of him wherever I go," I replied with a soft grin, remembering his warm touch on my neck when he put it on me.

"Oh really? Are you sure he thinks of you as just a friend if you gave you something that expensive?" Rao asked with a large grin on her face, making my cheeks get warm.

"I'm pretty sure," I said confidently, even though I knew I was lying.

In all actuality, I'm not sure at all. Yes, I've noticed him acting a bit weird around me, like he did Guin when he finally got to talk to her. And what was that emotion was in his eyes when I caught him staring at me? I know there was friendliness, sadness, and . . . something else. What was it? Was it affection, or maybe even love? Nah, that can't be; he's in love with Guin! Shaking my head slightly to clear my mind of these confusing thoughts, I noticed Rao was carefully watching me with a large grin still on her face.

"What?" I asked a bit defensively, making Rao grin a bit wider.

"Oh, nothing, never-mind about it," she quickly replied, turning her gaze to the path ahead.

Lifting an eyebrow, I looked around at our surroundings to find that we're about half-way through the sunflower field, to my disappointment. And judging by the sun's position, we still have about 5 more hours before sundown. With a final touch to my necklace, I returned my hand to the reins and urged Voniata to got a bit faster in response to Rao's faster pace.

As we pulled up alongside Rao and Arod, my curiosity got the better of me and I asked, "Hey Rao, do you know anymore legends and myths pertaining to the Du Amaear?"

She thought for a few minutes then said, "Yes that I do, a few actually. Would you like to hear them?"

I nodded and waited for Rao to recall one of the tales.

"Let's see," she mumbled before continuing, "There was a tale that spread across the towns near the forest. It said that the elf king, Kanthar, and the elf queen, Maiaera still linger in the depths of the forest, but as spirits. The story states that they await any of their surviving kin to come and find them. So that the lost elf could find them, it is said that Maiaera sings every night. Kanthar uses his skill in magic to enchant instruments to play along with her."

She thought for another few minutes then said, "And there is one more I can remember right now. It is said that two ancient Ents, the tree-people I was telling you about, guard the city's gate. It is only through them you can enter, if they deem you worthy. If they don't then they'll kill you on the spot."

A small shiver ran up my spine at her ominous words.

"That," she continued, "is what you are and might face when you set foot into that forest."

She shifted to that she could face me.

"I just hope you will find what you're looking for Eva, for that forest is full of magic left over from when the elves lived."

Another shiver went up my spine as I nodded, glancing around again only to jump slightly at the progress we've made. The tree trunks were starting to become visible as we neared the other side of the field, to my disappointment. We must've been talking for a few hours at least.

"Well, we're almost through the field!" Rao stated happily, then adding, "I've never liked the field. It's too bright for me."

Glancing out over the yellow sunflowers, now made red by the setting sun, I could see where she was coming from.

"Yes, they may be bright, but I like how they are just growing here naturally," I commented, turning back to Rao, who just shrugged.

Her ears perked up from underneath her hood as she snapped her head around to the forest.

"Listen! It's her voice on the wind!" Rao whispered urgently, pulling on the reigns to make Arod stop.

Voniata halted beside the silver horse without my command and turned her head towards the dark treetops. Closing my eyes and straining my ears, I eventually heard a soft, mournful, but beautiful voice rising and falling with the breeze. Then the haunting sound of a violin rose and twined with the voice, creating a mournful and haunting melody that filled my heart with sadness of a lost time.

"I wish I could understand what she's singing about," Rao commented softly, making me open my eyes and glance at her.

"I could translate it for you, if you like," I whispered, closing my eyes and concentrating on the voice.

"She's singing a song in the ancient language, so my translation's gonna be a bit rough," I said before the voice actually vocalized the words.

When that haunting voice took up the lyrics, I translated, "

_When the dark wood fell before me_

_And all the paths were overgrown_

_When the priests of pride say there is no other way_

_I tilled the sorrows of stone_

_I did not believe because I could not see_

_Though you came to me in the night_

_When the dawn seemed forever lost_

_You showed me your love in the light of the stars_

_Cast your eyes on the ocean_

_Cast your soul to the sea_

_When the dark night seems endless_

_Please remember me_

_Then the mountain rose before me_

_By the deep well of desire_

_From the fountain of forgiveness_

_Beyond the ice and the fire"_

I choked on the last word as I felt tears running down my face. The song continued on, but I couldn't compose myself in time to translate it. Voniata whinnied worriedly as I felt Rao rub my back sympathetically. The elf queen sang on for a few more minutes before her voice faded out until it was a whisper in the wind. Only then I felt my sorrow lifting until I was able to wipe my eyes on my sleeve.

It was a few more minutes before another voice, this time male, rose in song, joined by her voice and various instruments.

All four of us listened to the pair before Rao shook her head and said, "Well, I think we just witnessed a portion of elf-magic. It seems you're more sensitive to it, however, but that's probably because of you being an elf."

I nodded a bit distractedly, my eyes and ears still trained on the dark forest. The fox-woman sighed from beside me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"I think this is where we part ways my friend. Its obvious that you long to find the answers you are looking for, so I won't slow you down anymore then what I already have."

Quickly turning around so that I was facing her, I saw that she had a sad look on her face. Sighing and nodding, I leaned forward and embraced her tightly.

"Thank you for leading me this far and for being my only friend on this long journey," I whispered into her rounded human ear.

Feeling her nod, I pulled back and grinned sadly at the fox-woman.

"Where are you gonna go now?" I asked, tilting my head to one side slightly.

Rao sighed and looked to the northeast.

"Well, I'm gonna go find that place where there are more people like me, even if it takes me the rest of my life. Then I'm probably get settled there, if I could, anyway," she replied quietly, a silent longing in her eyes.

Nodding, I gently patted Rao on her shoulder then shuddered as the ghostly voice hit a high note, creating a harmony with the male voice. She glanced at me then towards the forest then back at me.

"Remember, to find the elvenpath one has to walk it bare," Rao murmured before slapping Voniata on the rump, startling the both of us and making the mare go at a gallop straight towards the forest.

I managed to slow her down to a trot as we neared the huge dark trees. We stopped outside of the silvery tree trunks and observed what I could see in the forest. With a deep breath, I dismounted and took Voniata's reigns, gently pulling her into the shade of the Du Amaear.

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_A/N Song: Dante's Prayer by Loreena McKennitt_

_I don't own Shrek 3 or its characters, I only own Eva and the plot after Shrek 3! Rao belongs to Rao Odiheme, not me!_

_I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please, please review and I'll have the next chapter out as soon as I can! ^^_

_~Meerkatgirl13 _


	24. Chapter 24

_A/N Hey! I'm not dead! XD I'm so sorry for the lack of updates! School, drama, and writers' block has been hitting me hard, so I haven't been updating as frequently as I want to. Please forgive me! Alright, here we get to know a bit more about Eva's past! ^^ I really hope you guys like it. Please read and review, and I'll try to post the next chapter sometime soon (if writers' block doesn't pound me into the ground again T_T) _

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There was a slight tingling in the air as I stooped to slide my boots and socks off of my feet, planting them on the soft ground. Exhaling softly, I wiggled my toes into the cool earth and started feeling a slight tingle in my feet.

Voniata, being the impatient creature she is, snorted and nudged me with her nose, making me smile and pat her neck.

"Alright then, I suppose we should get going," I whispered to her, walking around to the saddlebags and rustled around for my map, only to find it wasn't there.

With growing panic, I searched the rest of the bags for any sign of any of the two maps with no success. Whimpering in panic, I sat down on a fallen log and held my head in my hands. Great, just fucking great! Now how am I supposed to find the elven cities?

Glancing up when I heard Maiaera's voice again, I mentally slapped myself.

Eva, you dumbass, stop thinking like a human and start thinking like an elf!

With an annoyed growl, I stood up again and took Voniata's reigns again then started to follow the Queen's voice, the ground still tingling under my bare feet. After awhile, my weariness from the traveling finally caught up to me. Running a hand over my face, I walked around to the saddle and untied my sleeping roll, spreading it over the leafy ground and laying on it. I let myself slip into sleep with Maiaera's haunting voice echoing in my ears.

My internal alarm woke me, making me groan sleepily and open my eyes. My ears picked up the sounds of the early birds chirping and flitting around on the branches. Glancing around, I noticed that the forest's gloom seemed to lighten slightly with the coming of morning. With a soft groan, I sat up and winced at the ache that was embedded in my muscles. I crawled out of my bed roll and rolled it up, strapping it onto Voniata before going around and doing my morning routine.

As soon as I was done with that, I grabbed a hold of the mare's reigns and started walking. The faint tingling in my feet got stronger as I walked, then started to fade as I walked past the certain patch of earth. Curious, I back-tracked until it was as strong as it was before. I then moved to my left and was surprised when the tingling stayed the same instead of decreasing like before.

_"Remember, to find the elvenpath, one must walk it bare," _Rao's last words echoed in my head before I finally got what she meant.

So, to find the path that will take you to the cities, you must walk the forest barefoot? So that's explains the tingling that's seems to be in the earth.

Interesting notion, that is.

Taking Voniata's reigns again, I followed the strong tingling, altering my course as needed to stay on the path. Hmm... it must be the magic here that makes the earth tingle. We walked for what seems like forever before we came to a bright clearing. The sun shone through the thick branches, creating patches of shadows on the leafy ground.

"This seems like a good place to rest," I murmured to Voniata before taking out some food out of the bags.

She nickered and started tearing at the short grasses that grew in the partial light. Munching on a heel of bread and taking sips out of my water skin, I sat myself on the soft ground and leaned against a tree trunk. When I was done with my small meal, I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds of birds chirping and flitting from tree to tree. I must have dosed off for a bit, because I opened my eyes to Voniata nudging me impatiently, blowing hot air into my face.

Groaning quietly, I stretched and slowly stood up, flinching at my stiff back. I patted Voniata's snout fondly and picked up her reigns again before moving to find the magical path again. Minutes melted into hours and hours melted into what seemed like an eternity as my faithful horse and I traveled along the elvenpath; often taking short rests as we walked.

The steady steam of tingling magic suddenly started to grow as we walked past a huge rip in the earth; as if a tree had decided to pick up its roots and move to a new spot. Voniata and I stopped and stared at it for a few minutes before what I was seeing finally dawned on me.

Holy crap, if the Ents' tracks are this freaking huge...then how massive could they possibly be?

Suddenly starting as the earth began to shake around me, I yelped and tugged on Voniata's reigns to quickly guide her off of the path to shelter. She whinnied and reared up in fear as rabbits and squirrels darted in front of her, causing me to lose my grip on the leather, and sped away in a random direction.

"Voniata! *Letta! Kausta aptr!" I screamed after her, taking a few steps after her before I was scooped up by a massive, rough-feeling hand.

I screamed in terror and rage as I struggled to free myself, screaming curses and insults in both this language and the Ancient Language. Feeling myself being lifted, I whipped my head around as far as I could to see a massive looking tree. Its bark was a cross between a dark brown and a steely gray with patches of emerald moss growing up around its trunk. Wait... it has two trunks! No, they combine into what looks like its body about twenty feet above the ground.

"Let me go! Or I swear I'll find a way to kill you! You hear me? **Eka weohnata ono vergarí!" I screamed, pounding my fists against its bark, making some of it flake away.

A sound like an avalanche rolled through the air as I was lifted higher still, making me slightly dizzy.

"It seems like you are a feisty one, youngling," a deep, slow voice rumbled as the hand slowly opened and turned palm up so that I was sitting in it.

Flicking my hair out of my face, my jaw dropped as I saw who had captured me. Staring at me with a mixture of curiosity and amusement was a face that seemed to be carved out of the wood. Both of its eyes were grass green with flecks of a muddy brown swimming in them, each one about the size of dinner plates. In place of hair, vines and leaves hung from the branches shooting out of its head.

"Hmm," it mused, eying me in interest, "You spoke words from the ancient tongue. How did you learn of it?"

I only could gape up at it, feeling no more bigger than an ant compared to the massive being hold me. As it waited patiently for an answer, the Ent examined me closer, bringing its hand closer to its "face".

"You look so remarkably familiar, I just cannot think of where." It finally announced after a few minutes of examining me, leaning back and stroking its mossy beard in thought.

"W-who are you?" I managed to stutter out, inwardly cringing at how weak and small my voice was compared to his.

"Hmm? I have many names, youngling. It would take many a moon to recite my full name, but you may know me as Naideth, or The Ancient Oak in this tongue." He replied, lifting his gaze and gazing at the trunks of the ancient trees of the forest.

"What do you call yourself, youngling?"

Sitting up a bit straighter, I examined the Ent before I said, "I'm Eva Thalaela."

That seemed to get the Ent's attention, as he turned his gaze back to me.

"I believe I remember where I've seen you now, youngling. Why have you come here, Eva, last of the elves?" He questioned, his huge eyes boring into my small violet ones.

"I- I've come here to look for the ancient elven cities; I want to know where I was born and who my parents were." I stated firmly narrowing my eyes to glare at him.

"I would greatly appreciate it if you either took me to the capital, where I know Queen Maiaera and King Kanthar once lived, or you can point me in the right direction. Regardless of your approval, I am going to know where my home once was." I continued, getting to my feet in his rough palm and lifting my chin up in what I hoped was a challenging glare.

He blinked once then threw his head back and laughed, a sound like a thousand earthquakes at once that rolled all across the treetops and the fields beyond.

"Ah, you sound so much like your mother, young Omevasti Thalaela." He said after he had calmed down a good five minutes later.

Both confusion and awe hit me at the same time.

"Wait, you knew my mother? And my name is Eva, I just told you that." I quickly asked with wide eyes, "Who was she? Did you know my father, too? How do you know this?"

I couldn't stop my torrent of questions once that first one popped out. Instead of answering, the Ent chuckled-the same avalanche-like sound from earlier—and with a jolt, started walking through the dense forest along the same path I was following earlier.

"W-wait! What about my horse?" I asked, panicking as I saw the landscape lazily pass my on either side of me.

"She'll find you. She's a smart animal." The Ent replied, moving his hand—also making me lose my balance and fall on my butt—towards his body to cradle me gently.

Seeing as I have no choice but to let him carry me, I sighed and gazed at the passing scenery, eventually zoning out all-together.

"So, young elf, how did you survive the Elven Purge?" Naideth's creaking voice startled me out of my trance.

Furrowing my brows, I shook my head and replied, "I don't know. I never really thought about it before."

The Ent hummed in thought and remained silent for a few minutes.

"Try to remember, youngling, for I am indeed curious to your existence." He said after awhile, turning his gaze onto me then back to the forest.

Furrowing my brows, I nodded once then closed my eyes, carefully sorting through my memories for any trace of how I survived. I don't know how long I stayed like that, memory after memory flashing under my eyelids. Just as I was about to open my eyes and tell Naideth about my lack of progress, a memory I haven't seen before flashed through my mind.

_Smoke, burning flesh and the metallic tang of blood accompanied the sounds of the screams of women, the cries of frightened children and the metallic clang of metal on metal. Warm arms cradled my body as the woman carrying me dashed past the trees, frequently checking behind her for any pursuers. The orange glow of fires burning behind her made it impossible to tell what she looked like as my tiny head lifted from the woman's breast to gaze up at her face. Shouts behind her made her speed up as she bounded through the trees like a frightened deer, heading towards some unknown destination. When the shouts faded, the woman slowed down to a stop in front of a great white tree with a hole high up in the trunk. With a single bound, the woman jumped onto the nearest branch and steadied herself on it. _

_"Hush, my dearest Omevasti, you're going to be safe now." She cooed as she gently placed me into the hole and hid me with the dead leaves and branches within it. _

_She withdrew as the sounds of yelling, this time accompanied by the barks and howls of dogs, came within earshot again. She mumbled something in what sounded like the Ancient Language as she gently caressed my cheek with long, soft fingers. _

_"Goodbye my dearest child. May your life be long and happy. Know that I love you, now and forevermore." the woman mumbled as she withdrew her hand, making me __whimper in discomfort. _

_Her sapphire blue eyes hungrily devoured my face before she turned away, a silver tiara briefly flashing, jumping down to the ground. The force shook the tree and I whimpered in fear before suddenly feeling extremely sleepy. As I closed my eyes, I glimpsed a red and black sky and heard the sounds of battle a little ways away before everything went black. _

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_A/N Sooo, how did I do? Good? Bad? Sucks ass? Alright? Please tell me what you think of this chapter, I really want some feedback lol. Oh, if any of you guys like the anime Hetalia: Axis Powers, I have a little fanfic posted up on my DA account if any of your guys are intrested. I started writing it to hopefully get my creative muse back on track so i could finish this chapter. I might go on with it, when I'm stuck on this. It's called _Bring on the Rain, _by the way lol. You'll see it. _

_Anyway, Please review, you know how much I love those lol_

_*Letta! Kausta aptr - Stop! Come back!_

_**Eka weohnata ono vergarí! - I will kill you!_

_~Meerkatgirl13_


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